Current Events > Are we at the point where we should start developing alternatives to the web?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I had to bastardize that topic title thanks to char limit.

"Are we at the point where we should start considering/developing alternatives to the internet?"

But seriously ...
Shit is kind of fucked right now? Right?
The internet as we know it has been perverted into a propaganda machine, a tool for mass surveillance, and now censorship.

I have a few (probably terrible) ideas, but I'm definitely starting to see a need.

I still have no idea why there's only one internet

Having alternatives seems like a good idea

A radio based mesh network.

Gopher tried

Starks posted...

Gopher tried

I've spent a few minutes reading about that, I'm not entirely sure that's in the same direction I'm going with this.

I mean, abandoning almost everything. Whatever that can be done to fuck over ISPs.

Butlerian Jihad

sfcalimari posted...

Butlerian Jihad

I had to Google that reference, not being the hugely into Dune.

No, not really. It's moreso that the internet connects us to the state. That's the shit that needs to stop.

I've said gross things about AI in the past, but my real problem is the violation of copyright to even make AI possible.

Society is at a standstill.
I don't know what the right answer is.

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=pwkcmB7AOsE&si=xtgtGt1JCSl2O3QG

HylianFox posted...

I still have no idea why there's only one internet

what would it even mean for there to be more than one internet? it would all have to share a lot of the physical infrastructure anyways wouldn't it, there's just too much of that

Can't say that wasn't the take I expected from Kirby.

$$$

i'd assume it would end up costing way more to get people to use it since they'd need all new hardware to get onto it. it's similar to the bluray and HD DVD from years ago except this would be like coming out with HD DVD now and trying to take the bluray market.

I find that I don't really understand what an alternative would even be or what you mean.

HylianFox posted...

I still have no idea why there's only one internet

Having alternatives seems like a good idea

The one we have costs trillions to build and maintain and we still havent delivered high speed affordable internet to everyone globally yet. And forget about affordability, we still havent delivered high speed internet (or any at all) globally yet. The closest weve come is Starlink but thats fairly expensive for a lot of people and not suitable for cities

trying to make a competitor that also works with existing software isnt exactly realistic

Fuck "reality". :)

Tim Berners-Lee, the man who invented the Web, actually tried to start a project in recent years sort of along the lines of what you were saying. It's intended to be a brand new more decentralized Web where users can better manage who accesses their data. It got a tiny bit of buzz a handful of years ago but sputtered out a bit.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid_(web_decentralization_project)

The only solution is somehow having a smaller, decentralized internet while also having major platforms be subject to more regulations. I can't see this working out though.

These are lies we tell people.

RasterGraphic posted...

A radio based mesh network.

someone i kinda know is working on this: https://piermesh.net/
can't say i fully understand it but it seems cool in concept??

RasterGraphic posted...

Can't say that wasn't the take I expected from Kirby.

I can give a few alternative takes if you want (which are all things I truly think, but are still all generally sort of negative on the idea)

1) if the part you're concerned about is site hosts and the digital portion of the internet, you can totally just make your own - host a server in your house, pick your favourite encryption protocol to encrypt all communications to/from, and there you go. Maybe get other people on board hosting their own, and then as long as you only visit these sites, you are essentially on a second internet. It doesn't help against concerns you have with ISPs or physical cable controllers though, which leads to #2

2) Starlink is probably the next best bet? It's a form of internet service and a provider that does not need to rely on any existing cables. Any options that did mostly rely on existing infrastructure would never take off because it just costs too much for little value, but here the nature of it as satellites which have only very recently become affordable to launch means they're building their infrastructure new, for the first time, right now. They are best positioned to split off from the original internet of all options imo, but considering you are worried about use of the internet as a propaganda tool I'm not sure you'd be very on-board with this option lol

3) Alternatively, we've already had a few "alternate" internets. things like the great firewall of china or whatever north korea's got going are essentially this. even though they are technically the same internet the goal is to cut them off as much as possible from the wider web, essentially creating a smaller internet inside the internet that its users are stuck in. I think most people generally regard these as a pretty poor idea and I don't know if you want to imitate them <_<

If you are concerned about the stuff you're worried about on a personal or community level, I instead recommend: Stay out of open/unmoderated communities, make friends in closed gatekept communities, get off the mainstream social media or at the very least try to minimize (or completely eliminate) all viewing of content that is given to you by recommendation algorithm. Encourage others to do the same.

If you're concerned about it on a global scale, well, I am too (though in a slightly different flavour than you are) and I don't think there is anything you can realistically do as an individual. Just follow the stuff in the above paragraph for yourself and accept that general information flow is far bigger than single people

RasterGraphic posted...

These are lies we tell people.

Well, what are your ideas, since you've apparently figured it all out, entirely?

Elords need a fucking ... just a fucking.