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It's interesting that Tim Wu discussed the cycle of technology starting amongst outsiders and then becoming monopolized in his (phenomenal) book The Master Swit

It's interesting that Tim Wu discussed the cycle of technology starting amongst outsiders and then becoming monopolized in his (phenomenal) book The Master Switch. The cycle always repeats itself by the next new technology coming along, making the prior one less significant. We seem to have accepted that the internet is essentially the final communication tech. Maybe that's true, but it seems improbable. Simply based on his past writing, I'm surprised he isn't advocating for a solution based on the blockchain. I'm not suggesting that's the right answer; I merely find it curious that he didn't apply the same assumptions to the future as he did to his historical analysis.

jgh 9y ago
I'm not really sure how blockchain is related to a potential "next" communication technology. Why not AR? Why not lasers n shit?
- joejerryronnie 9y ago
  Wait for it . . . "Quantum Blockchain" - Boom!
  - koolba 9y ago
    Qubitcoin! [1]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qubit https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qubit
- jamestimmins 9y ago
  You're right. I was thinking "blockchain or another in-development technology", but was lazy in my phrasing. Other tech is equally as applicable.
- Geee 9y ago
  It's possible to create distributed but capitalistic systems with blockchain. Without blockchain most distributed / P2P systems fail because they rely on volunteers to run the system.
  - kodablah 9y ago
    I don't think that's why they fail. Lack of adoption primarily due to difficulty of use is mostly why they fail. Lots of us are willing to donate our resources, but that won't affect the success or failure of the platform. People need to be working on simple to use platforms, everything else is secondary (including scaling and featureset). Max effort needs to be towards onboarding, wizards, easy walkthroughs, etc. It's a goal in a project I'm doing and I urge others to prioritize similarly.
    - Geee 9y ago
      But still, with blockchain you can design all kinds of incentives directly in the protocol without anyone in control. I'm not saying it's easy or if it's actually viable, but blockchain has properties that could make P2P social network possible in economic sense.
- arisAlexis 9y ago
  Talking about a blockchain based social network. a laser based social network doesn't make much sense
michaelmrose 9y ago
The internet has come to mean communication between potentially distant actors over a network. The successor to the internet will be called the internet.
mrweasel 9y ago
Blockchain technology isn't really a viable option for something like social media any more. With the new GDPR rules in Europe and the right to be forgotten, using blockchain just isn't an option, because you can't delete specific parts.

jgh 9y ago

I'm not really sure how blockchain is related to a potential "next" communication technology. Why not AR? Why not lasers n shit?

joejerryronnie 9y ago
Wait for it . . . "Quantum Blockchain" - Boom!
- koolba 9y ago
  Qubitcoin! [1]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qubit https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qubit
jamestimmins 9y ago
You're right. I was thinking "blockchain or another in-development technology", but was lazy in my phrasing. Other tech is equally as applicable.
Geee 9y ago
It's possible to create distributed but capitalistic systems with blockchain. Without blockchain most distributed / P2P systems fail because they rely on volunteers to run the system.
- kodablah 9y ago
  I don't think that's why they fail. Lack of adoption primarily due to difficulty of use is mostly why they fail. Lots of us are willing to donate our resources, but that won't affect the success or failure of the platform. People need to be working on simple to use platforms, everything else is secondary (including scaling and featureset). Max effort needs to be towards onboarding, wizards, easy walkthroughs, etc. It's a goal in a project I'm doing and I urge others to prioritize similarly.
  - Geee 9y ago
    But still, with blockchain you can design all kinds of incentives directly in the protocol without anyone in control. I'm not saying it's easy or if it's actually viable, but blockchain has properties that could make P2P social network possible in economic sense.
arisAlexis 9y ago
Talking about a blockchain based social network. a laser based social network doesn't make much sense

michaelmrose 9y ago

The internet has come to mean communication between potentially distant actors over a network. The successor to the internet will be called the internet.

mrweasel 9y ago

Blockchain technology isn't really a viable option for something like social media any more. With the new GDPR rules in Europe and the right to be forgotten, using blockchain just isn't an option, because you can't delete specific parts.