Why Erase the internet? What went wrong?
The year was 1999, and the future seemed alive with possibilities. The so-called World Wide Web was connecting the planet, and after work or school humans would race home to talk to new far-flung individuals in chat rooms, on message boards, or via instant messengers. Weird ideas were abound, from TimeCube to Hampster Dance and The Matrix. And then something happened… a sickness appeared as corporate mega-entities took hold of the developing web.
The web is now full of bots. Tech companies are firing humans and “hiring” AI. Even human users are being replaced by scripts on sites like facebook on instagram. Work itself, rather than sustaining humanity with a clean environment, artwork, and healthy food, has become a game of shuffling digital bits to extract value from resources. Those websites that are meant to be enjoyable, now prioritize clicks and engagement, which in turn prioritize fear and outrage. Gone are the efforts to unite and enlightened us. Now, humanity has entered the era of outrage.
It’s time to take a step back, abandon these sites for good, and embrace better models of communication.
