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The Cyberutopian (2014)

magazine.williams.edu

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Re: The Cyberutopian (2014)

#11
post #4
post #3

Does anyone here describe themselves as a "cyberutopian"? I ask less about the particular word, and more about whether anyone still has an overwhelming sense of optimism about the transformative potential of the internet.

The Internet looked like it had the potential to become a cyber utopia. Then the money and the regulators moved in. Now it looks like the Internet has just become, or will soon be, the next cable TV.

I don't get this stance. What's preventing cyber punks to set up their own messaging system and information sharing system ? IRC, XMPP, matrix, diaspora's offsprings, etc... The tech stack is here and fun to play with.

Now, everyday people might not be interested or up to it but they weren't twenty years ago either.

Re: The Cyberutopian (2014)

#12
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Internet looked like it had the potential to become a cyber utopia. Then the money and the regulators moved in. Now it looks like the Internet has just become, or will soon be, the next cable TV.

I don't get this stance. What's preventing cyber punks to set up their own messaging system and information sharing system ? IRC, XMPP, matrix, diaspora's offsprings, etc... The tech stack is here and fun to play with. Now, everyday people might not be interested or up to it but they weren't twenty years ago either.

Whenever only the dissidents do something, it's really easy to outlaw it or use it to spy on that group. Using https on most websites for example would never have happened if ordinary people didn't need to log in to banks.

Re: The Cyberutopian (2014)

#13
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't get this stance. What's preventing cyber punks to set up their own messaging system and information sharing system ? IRC, XMPP, matrix, diaspora's offsprings, etc... The tech stack is here and fun to play with. Now, everyday people might not be interested or up to it but they weren't twenty years ago either.

Whenever only the dissidents do something, it's really easy to outlaw it or use it to spy on that group. Using https on most websites for example would never have happened if ordinary people didn't need to log in to banks.

Regarding https, your statement somehow implies that it would have been made illegal if it hadn't taken off?
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