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It's hard to pinpoint a cohesive thesis in this long, winding article. It's a mix of explanations about how the internet works (IP addresses, undersea cables) a

It's hard to pinpoint a cohesive thesis in this long, winding article. It's a mix of explanations about how the internet works (IP addresses, undersea cables) and talking about the scale of Facebook, Instagram, and other big tech companies. The author is concerned that too many internet users choose to use big tech websites, which he suggests is a threat to the open internet: > Those are large enough numbers to admit that the open Web is already rather irrelevant to Zuckerberg’s products. But this claim doesn't make any sense, because with few exceptions people still need the open internet to access Facebook. Is Facebook really stopping any of us from using other parts of the internet? Sure, we can point to Facebook's initiatives to provide free internet access in some countries as a sign that they want to control some of the internet, but it's irrelevant for 99%+ of the population. As much as I love mesh networks, the idea that we're going to replace the internet with regional mesh networks is a pipe dream. Mesh networks could be fun as a relatively low-bandwidth alternative network, but there is zero incentive for the average consumer or even a tech person to give up their high speed internet access that already does everything they need. I'm getting tired of these articles that neglect to consider that maybe people who voluntarily choose to use products like Facebook do so because they actually want to. It's becoming a common theme to talk about the general public like sheep who are under the control of evil tech companies, and to pretend that us enlightened tech people need to use our hardware and software skills to stop people from choosing to use websites they enjoy. There are some legitimate concerns around things like privacy and tracking, but the solution isn't to create an alternate internet universe and hope that everyone decides to give up the main internet for this alternate, Facebook-free version of the internet.

EGreg 5y ago
Do you want a practical approach? Something that will actually APPEAL to people and has a chance of working? https://qbix.com/blog/2021/01/15/open-source-communities/ https://qbix.com/blog/2021/01/15/open-source-communities/
waterproof 5y ago
+1, I also found it hard to follow the thread here. For instance, they spend a lot of time on IP address scarcity, and then imply - without explaining why - that it has something to do with Facebook or Google's dominance. Is a lack of IP addresses really preventing folks from competing with the giants? No, FB and Google are huge because they provide more value and people want to use them, not because Ello or Ask Jeeves were starved for IP addresses.
IX-103 5y ago
How much of the content on Facebook is indexed by someone other than Facebook and accessible to someone without a Facebook account? How much of it can be archived by a third party? Content that previously would have been on some personal geocities(?) page on the open web is behind Facebook's wall. Facebook has effectively taken something that was previously open and made it closed. While I also could not find a coherent solution in the OP, I have to agree with them that the proliferation of closed networks are detrimental to the web as a whole.
- giantrobot 5y ago
  > Content that previously would have been on some personal geocities(?) page on the open web is behind Facebook's wall. I don't think that really bears out. There's lots of content on Facebook etc that would not be posted anywhere if Facebook (or whomever) didn't make it dead simple. A Facebook user can write a post, start or join a group, or post pictures with no technical expertise. Hosting that content doesn't require a credit card or any credentials beyond their Facebook account. It's also a platform that will spread their content to other people's feeds. Most people don't have the technical skills to do any of those things on their own. Even the lowest skilled Geocities user in 1999 was more technically skilled than the average computer user.
- sircastor 5y ago
  I’ll go further than that and say that not only has Facebook closed off the information, they’ve also made it ephemeral. The entire model of Facebook is constructed for whatever comes next. It is not and doesn’t want to be a wiki or even a static website.

EGreg 5y ago

Do you want a practical approach? Something that will actually APPEAL to people and has a chance of working? https://qbix.com/blog/2021/01/15/open-source-communities/ https://qbix.com/blog/2021/01/15/open-source-communities/

waterproof 5y ago

+1, I also found it hard to follow the thread here. For instance, they spend a lot of time on IP address scarcity, and then imply - without explaining why - that it has something to do with Facebook or Google's dominance. Is a lack of IP addresses really preventing folks from competing with the giants? No, FB and Google are huge because they provide more value and people want to use them, not because Ello or Ask Jeeves were starved for IP addresses.

IX-103 5y ago

How much of the content on Facebook is indexed by someone other than Facebook and accessible to someone without a Facebook account? How much of it can be archived by a third party? Content that previously would have been on some personal geocities(?) page on the open web is behind Facebook's wall. Facebook has effectively taken something that was previously open and made it closed. While I also could not find a coherent solution in the OP, I have to agree with them that the proliferation of closed networks are detrimental to the web as a whole.

giantrobot 5y ago
> Content that previously would have been on some personal geocities(?) page on the open web is behind Facebook's wall. I don't think that really bears out. There's lots of content on Facebook etc that would not be posted anywhere if Facebook (or whomever) didn't make it dead simple. A Facebook user can write a post, start or join a group, or post pictures with no technical expertise. Hosting that content doesn't require a credit card or any credentials beyond their Facebook account. It's also a platform that will spread their content to other people's feeds. Most people don't have the technical skills to do any of those things on their own. Even the lowest skilled Geocities user in 1999 was more technically skilled than the average computer user.
sircastor 5y ago
I’ll go further than that and say that not only has Facebook closed off the information, they’ve also made it ephemeral. The entire model of Facebook is constructed for whatever comes next. It is not and doesn’t want to be a wiki or even a static website.