The future of the web, for laymen – 03/10/2024 – Tech

Experts in technology and innovation are already circulating in complex virtual environments, where information is distributed independently, without the need to go through the control of a centralized network to get where it needs to be (blockchain).

We, the “people”, however, still grope this game board full of illusion, hope and fear.

Will advances bring emancipation to users or will they be devoured like easy prey in the clutches of “big techs”?

The idea that the improvement of technology would translate into a radical change in terms of autonomy for the user was suspended until blockchain consensus protocols can prevail!

The predictions were, at first, encouraging because it seemed that the power of communication would no longer be restricted to select groups of network owners and would, in fact, be transferred to anyone, which began to happen when musicians, for example, were able to launch their compositions outside the monopoly of record companies, or comedians creating their own channels.

But this change of direction, which seemed inevitable, did not happen. There was a lack of regulation and with the arrival of AI (artificial intelligence), such a favorable scenario became increasingly distant.

When the internet appeared, there was a real hope that the democratization of information, manifested in a less unfair scenario, was taking shape in order to offer opportunities for those who occupy the base of the pyramid.

Computer engineer Paul Baran made graphs in the 1960s that showed centralized, decentralized and distributed computing network structures. If we make a logical analysis based on them, we have a trajectory of change in the exercise of power effectively migrating from the individual to the collective.

To understand better, I propose a reflection using a free analogy from the era of centralized networks.

The rules of the game were dictated by whoever was at the center of power: the king or emperor organized his government and imposed his decisions supported by military forces.

Power was exercised vertically, from top to bottom, and anyone who dared to differ was seen as an enemy to be prevented, excluded, and executed. The rules were followed without usurpations and harassment being even perceived as such.

The world order was maintained using abusive methods, in which the “master” placed himself as the owner of his objects of exploitation. Slavery, colonialism, denial of women’s rights and an endless list of abuses.

With the appearance of decentralized networks, the possibility of advances consistent with those of the era of the Industrial Revolution opened up. During this period, the maxim “those who can command, obey those who have sense” began to lose strength and predatory practices could no longer occur with impunity…only in ways that were accepted by the market.

Some corporate presidents continued to dictate the rules, which began to be regulated according to the interests of groups holding political, financial power and so on.

Technological advances accelerated the game exponentially and the evolution of the web seemed to lead us towards a favorable moment in which we would reach the extinction of the reproductions of abuses, since power would be everywhere.

With the possibility of groups being able to organize themselves directly, without the need for legitimization from any “owner of power”, the days of maintaining practices of exploitation, oppression and domination would be numbered.

But the technology giants chose to reproduce a model similar to the old one, in order to act as if they owned the content displayed on their networks. In other words, they opted for abusive methods and content producers on the networks were “tied up”, like slaves, with limited access to the profit generated by their own creations.

A talk at SXSW, in particular, brilliantly addressed the topic. Chris Dixon, founder of A16z and author of the book “Read Write Own”, spoke about how the future of the internet should be built.

In a quick overview of the web’s phases, we have the initial one, which was static and was characterized by basic sites with limited interactivity. Users were mainly passive consumers of content, and there was little user-generated content; it was the “read” phase.

In the second phase —Web 2.0— we saw a shift towards more dynamic and interactive online experiences (“write” phase). Social media platforms, blogs and collaborative tools have emerged, encouraging user content creation and social interaction. Web 2.0 emphasized collaboration, sharing and community participation, but when that happened, instead of moving into the “own” phase and becoming autonomous, what happened was the opposite.

Meta (owner of Facebook) practically dominated the world alongside Apple, Google and Amazon, and we were trapped in the network like insects to be devoured by predators.

An interesting fact: the number of people on the planet with access to the internet through a smartphone is greater than the number of people with access to basic sanitation and, as a result, the average time people spend online has increased immensely, reaching 6 hours per day. Not to mention the “bedroom generation” that is much older than that and is no longer able to interact in person… but that’s a topic for another article.

With the arrival of Web 3.0, which aims to improve the capabilities of the internet by making data more interconnected and understandable to machines, involving technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and blockchain, we are experiencing yet another threat.

Web 3.0 aims to create a smarter, more personalized web experience and is also designed to enable more advanced services, better data interoperability and greater user control over personal data.

However, as Chris emphasized in the talk, AI will centralize power even more.

The coming years will see artificial intelligence become an integral partner in our lives, going far beyond aids in writing memos or helping us carry out complex tasks, make decisions and even meet our emotional needs.

We do not yet know the repercussions of this change. What happens to our brains when we no longer need to process information like we used to? What happens to our hearts when we no longer need other people to have meaningful relationships? What happens to us as human beings when so much of what has long defined humanity — the ability to think and feel independently — is outsourced to machines?

We live in extremely dangerous times and cultivating critical intelligence should be our biggest objective right now.