How to build an Internet that doesn’t suck

In 1971, Ray Tomlinson, an engineer working on the ARPANET project — the predecessor to the Internet — sent the first email. The message was nothing profound; it was a series of random characters that looked more like the utterance of a toddler on a typewriter than a groundbreaking moment in technology. But that’s precisely what it was. In its nascent stage, the Internet was a haven for technologists, a playground for people like Tomlinson, who were exploring its potential, nudging at its boundaries, and shaping it into something that would change the world. Fast forward a few decades, and the Internet has morphed from a fledgling innovation into a sprawling, ubiquitous entity that permeates every aspect of our lives. It’s as if Tomlinson’s initial message has multiplied and mutated, expanding far beyond its creator’s wildest imaginings. In the process, it’s become something he might not recognize — or even like. Now, imagine a teenage girl; let’s call her Chrissy. Chrissy is part of the digital generation, born and bred in the era of smartphones and social media. Every day, she navigates a barrage of online ads explicitly targeted at her based on her age, gender, browsing history, and even her location. She’s part of a world where her data is a commodity, traded, sold, and used without explicit consent. Chrissy’s world is also one where anonymous online users can hurl insults and threats with impunity. She’s seen her friends become victims of vicious cyberbullying campaigns. And she’s part of a society where the flow of information is dictated not by its accuracy or its value but by algorithms that favor what’s sensational, viral, and monetizable. Ray Tomlinson and Chrissy are bookends on the Internet narrative: one at its hopeful beginning, the other navigating its current tumultuous reality. But the question is, how did we get from Tomlinson to Chrissy? How did a tool designed to democratize information and unlock connectivity devolve into a polarized echo chamber, a wild west of misinformation and privacy compromises? And, more importantly, where do we go from here? <a href="https://joanwestenberg.medium.com/how-to-build-an-internet-that-doesnt-suck-675f4b4c7039">Read More</a>