Enshittification, Despotification, and the Open Internet (by Mike Masnick)
liberalism.orgI really wish we saw more techies realizing how much technology needs some political drive, saw them championing or supporting better ways and better worlds.
Our social systems in particular! I mean, I don't love how many techies just go buy Unifi & eskew openwrt either, it scares me to think we might broadly lose wireless, that most people opt themselves out of engagement & go consumer here. But when it comes to the systems that connect people together, when it's not just uplink but the connections among us, I really wish we saw more focused more drive intentionality, especially from those who are capable of helping & growing this young currently very chaotic addicted noosphere forward.
Excellent post as ever from Mike. Really a proper stake setting for something far to crucial to be left to the market forces that be. Their intro on Bluesky is informative, good background here:
> I spent more time on this piece than almost anything else I've written in the last year. Building a better, more decentralized internet is an inherent necessity if you want a functioning democracy.
> I hope people find it a useful encapsulation of where we're at.