5 ms·

Isn't gentrification the opposite of what's been happening to the Internet? Previously, only a small, well-educated minority was online, but now the Internet ha

Isn't gentrification the opposite of what's been happening to the Internet? Previously, only a small, well-educated minority was online, but now the Internet has never been more accessible to the masses. With a cheap smartphone and data, even rural Indians who make a fraction of the average person in the West are able to have access to the Internet, while previously you need an expensive computer, an expensive modem, and the required knowledge. And let's not get into the cost of server and hosting, which have never been so low.

rexpop 7y ago
For a deeper understanding of the Bohemian nature of the early internet, you might want to check out this book on Goodreads: Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35953464-broad-band http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35953464-broad-band
emptyparadise 7y ago
From a consumer perspective, definitely, the next billion and the billion after that are all getting online, and that is genuinely amazing. From a producer's perspective, though? It's a disaster! There's a huge pressure to shape content in a specific way, to post it to specific sites. Even something as simple as sharing a non-image or a non-video file with somebody is a lot harder now than it was a few years back. File hosting sites are going dark left and right, cloud storage services are shuttering direct file access capabilities, the new types of devices have limited options for simple file management, and so on and so on.
sgillen 7y ago
Author seems to use gentrification to describe a shift in power dynamics: those who are on the internet now have more rules governing their behavior and those in charge of the internet are now more interested in corporate profits than the public good. Now I disagree with using gentrification to describe that, and I don’t totally agree with the authors point anyway, but I think that is what he’s trying to say.
- l33tbro 7y ago
  >I think that is what he's trying to say. *She I do agree that using a loaded and buzzy term like 'gentrification' makes the article a bit of a misfire.
- anfilt 7y ago
  Yea gentrification seems like the wrong term for sure. Honestly, the most worrying though to me is Google. #1 search engine, #1 browser, #1 email provider, #1 mobile platform, #1 online video platform. The concern is with all those places domination google can dictate de-facto standards or push standards that they want. Gone are the days that one person or small team could keep up and maintain all the standards for a "modern browser". Microsoft even gave up.
  - skybrian 7y ago
    I don't think Microsoft gave up so much as shifted strategy. Building on Chromium means they start out already compatible with most websites on the Internet, neutralizing one of Google's advantages. They have enough resources to maintain a fork and add their own features. Google did the same thing starting with Safari's WebKit.
- philpem 7y ago
  Corporatisation is probably a better term.
thatoneuser 7y ago
But at the same time everything's gone from a dank esoteria to polished standards. In the sense of visual aesthetic the internet has been "gentrified" I'd say.
- joefourier 7y ago
  If your street full of esoteric expensive artisan stores was replaced by a Wall-Mart, you wouldn't call that gentrification. Gentrification casts out the low-income residents, it doesn't invite them in en masse.
  - jhbadger 7y ago
    Actually, that's typically what does occur as part of gentrification. Typically a bohemian neighborhood has all sorts of interesting indie stores selling books, art, antiques, etc. But these stores aren't that profitable -- a chain retailer can pay much more rent and so the owners evict the indie stores.
    - joefourier 7y ago
      True, but generally the bohemians and artists are the first ones to replace the working-class character of the neighborhood with their own, until they themselves are replaced by young urban professionals... Comparing the wide Internet to a neighborhood with fixed space constraints is a rocky analogy to begin with. The foundation of a new city would be more appropriate, starting with a small population of intrepid explorers in a wild uncharted wilderness and growing to a massive commercial behemoth...
  - tomatotomato37 7y ago
    Facebook and the like aren't the Walmart of the web though, they're the Wholefoods and sushi bars; Craigslist would be the closer Walmart equivalent; shoving out weaker sites while still being pretty lower-income
- rchaud 7y ago
  "Polished" for search engines maybe. Bad UX is rife across most commercial sites, with intrusive ads and social trackers being the worst offenders: autoplay videos, on-scroll triggered, page re-positioning, Taboola garbage, increased load times. All of this made the web worse, not better. "Gentrification" as it relates to neighbourhoods at least means access to better amenities. When it comes to the Web, Wikipedia offers "amenities" in the way of easily accessible, extensively cited information. Most websites on the other hand gatekeep content via email signups ("get my free ebook!"), and the content itself is basically lead gen for what ever product they're pushing.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
pjc50 7y ago
Perhaps the right word is "de-counter-culturation"? It's no longer a subculture in any way, it is the culture; there is direct crossover from the chan boards all the way to the White House.
metalgearsolid 7y ago
At the ground floor of my former office was a cafe. It wasn't an old, established cultural icon like my local dumping spot, but it employed people who provided their goods and services. That was one year ago. It's been vacant since the rent was raised. I work in a new building now, but I walk past the former store most days of the week. Through the wall of glass I could see people engage in their activities under the glow of a cliche Edison lightbulb arrangement. I would walk past and see the adjustments of aprons, the exchanges of cash and mugs of coffee, the hats and t-shirts hanging off slabs of wood pinned to the walls, and the sacks of coffee beans stored on top. A dark and empty room sits behind the facade of LEDs that now occupy the glass. Advertisement. I think you are conflating gentrification with access. My city has more people and a better public transportation system now. More people have access to the sidewalk in front of my old office where you could once purchase a decent cup of coffee. But what used to be a store, a small seedling of human existence, is now just a wall to display ads on.

rexpop 7y ago

For a deeper understanding of the Bohemian nature of the early internet, you might want to check out this book on Goodreads: Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35953464-broad-band http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35953464-broad-band

emptyparadise 7y ago

From a consumer perspective, definitely, the next billion and the billion after that are all getting online, and that is genuinely amazing. From a producer's perspective, though? It's a disaster! There's a huge pressure to shape content in a specific way, to post it to specific sites. Even something as simple as sharing a non-image or a non-video file with somebody is a lot harder now than it was a few years back. File hosting sites are going dark left and right, cloud storage services are shuttering direct file access capabilities, the new types of devices have limited options for simple file management, and so on and so on.

sgillen 7y ago

Author seems to use gentrification to describe a shift in power dynamics: those who are on the internet now have more rules governing their behavior and those in charge of the internet are now more interested in corporate profits than the public good. Now I disagree with using gentrification to describe that, and I don’t totally agree with the authors point anyway, but I think that is what he’s trying to say.

l33tbro 7y ago
>I think that is what he's trying to say. *She I do agree that using a loaded and buzzy term like 'gentrification' makes the article a bit of a misfire.
anfilt 7y ago
Yea gentrification seems like the wrong term for sure. Honestly, the most worrying though to me is Google. #1 search engine, #1 browser, #1 email provider, #1 mobile platform, #1 online video platform. The concern is with all those places domination google can dictate de-facto standards or push standards that they want. Gone are the days that one person or small team could keep up and maintain all the standards for a "modern browser". Microsoft even gave up.
- skybrian 7y ago
  I don't think Microsoft gave up so much as shifted strategy. Building on Chromium means they start out already compatible with most websites on the Internet, neutralizing one of Google's advantages. They have enough resources to maintain a fork and add their own features. Google did the same thing starting with Safari's WebKit.
philpem 7y ago
Corporatisation is probably a better term.

thatoneuser 7y ago

But at the same time everything's gone from a dank esoteria to polished standards. In the sense of visual aesthetic the internet has been "gentrified" I'd say.

joefourier 7y ago
If your street full of esoteric expensive artisan stores was replaced by a Wall-Mart, you wouldn't call that gentrification. Gentrification casts out the low-income residents, it doesn't invite them in en masse.
- jhbadger 7y ago
  Actually, that's typically what does occur as part of gentrification. Typically a bohemian neighborhood has all sorts of interesting indie stores selling books, art, antiques, etc. But these stores aren't that profitable -- a chain retailer can pay much more rent and so the owners evict the indie stores.
  - joefourier 7y ago
    True, but generally the bohemians and artists are the first ones to replace the working-class character of the neighborhood with their own, until they themselves are replaced by young urban professionals... Comparing the wide Internet to a neighborhood with fixed space constraints is a rocky analogy to begin with. The foundation of a new city would be more appropriate, starting with a small population of intrepid explorers in a wild uncharted wilderness and growing to a massive commercial behemoth...
- tomatotomato37 7y ago
  Facebook and the like aren't the Walmart of the web though, they're the Wholefoods and sushi bars; Craigslist would be the closer Walmart equivalent; shoving out weaker sites while still being pretty lower-income
rchaud 7y ago
"Polished" for search engines maybe. Bad UX is rife across most commercial sites, with intrusive ads and social trackers being the worst offenders: autoplay videos, on-scroll triggered, page re-positioning, Taboola garbage, increased load times. All of this made the web worse, not better. "Gentrification" as it relates to neighbourhoods at least means access to better amenities. When it comes to the Web, Wikipedia offers "amenities" in the way of easily accessible, extensively cited information. Most websites on the other hand gatekeep content via email signups ("get my free ebook!"), and the content itself is basically lead gen for what ever product they're pushing.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

pjc50 7y ago

Perhaps the right word is "de-counter-culturation"? It's no longer a subculture in any way, it is the culture; there is direct crossover from the chan boards all the way to the White House.

metalgearsolid 7y ago

At the ground floor of my former office was a cafe. It wasn't an old, established cultural icon like my local dumping spot, but it employed people who provided their goods and services. That was one year ago. It's been vacant since the rent was raised. I work in a new building now, but I walk past the former store most days of the week. Through the wall of glass I could see people engage in their activities under the glow of a cliche Edison lightbulb arrangement. I would walk past and see the adjustments of aprons, the exchanges of cash and mugs of coffee, the hats and t-shirts hanging off slabs of wood pinned to the walls, and the sacks of coffee beans stored on top. A dark and empty room sits behind the facade of LEDs that now occupy the glass. Advertisement. I think you are conflating gentrification with access. My city has more people and a better public transportation system now. More people have access to the sidewalk in front of my old office where you could once purchase a decent cup of coffee. But what used to be a store, a small seedling of human existence, is now just a wall to display ads on.