manifesto.neue

We aren't getting our Internet back; the smol web, quiet web, 𝐟𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐞𝐫𝐨 web, whatever you wanna call it. Pandora's Box has been opened, nay, wretched and held open by the data brokerage economy; empowered by unscrupulous advertisers, their lobbyists, and their political allies eager to make a quick buck at the expense (lol, get wrecked) of us all.

No, that Internet is gone…pilfered and gutted for its good parts, redesigned and repackaged with dark patterns to keep us hooked on services we don't really like; digital cocaine, if you will.

What we can do is build a new Internet, together. We don't need permission. We can just…do it, in our own way.

screams internally UGH. Why do I have to work for this? I HAD it and it got stolen!!

I feel you. Truly. But if you can see the joy in tragedy, maybe you can be inspired to code, sketch, write, or otherwise contribute to a rebirth (renaissance?!) of the internet.

However, a common mistake we collectively make about taking the internet back into our own hands is assuming everyone has the time and energy to code a blog or set up a server. Even opening a terminal is too much for most. You might be thinking, "you're hinting at creating platforms…isn't that how we got into this mess in the first place?"

Platforms aren't inherently evil, they're just the vehicles through which our Internet was poisoned. How can we ensure that won't happen again? To quote my friend, Jordan Green:

The Internet amplified voices you could've easily ignored in the past.

That is, aside from giving transgressors a judgmental eye, ignore them. Don't engage. Don't sign up for their service. Recommend comparable services to friends and family who may inquire. We know damn well that Facebook and Google ill catch on and try to ride the wave (see: Facebook threatening the Fediverse with Threads integration, and Google shutting down yet another service after gobbling up user data because "refocusing efforts").

"Web3," a marketing term for Ethereum-based platforms and services, is supposed to save us…right? Or maybe it's "the dWeb," the lesser-known marketing term for blockchain-/community-based platforms and services. Their evangelists are certainly loud as fuck about how their favorite blockchain is THE key to unlocking a brighter future on the 'Net (greetings, I just roasted myself and am an avid evangelist of (for?) the Handshake blockchain and will talk your ear off if you let me).

I think the solutions are somewhere in the middle. Notice the plural? There is no singular salve for the blights upon our digital land, despite what anyone says (I especially despise absolutist rhetoric, go touch grass, breathe fresh air, or take a nap).

So, where do you come in?

If you're technical, write guides for normies (and for future you, who will forget details).

If you're entrepreneurial, build platforms that make it super easy for anyone to jump into the next stage of the internet. You have a major responsibility to not get swayed by a billion-dollar check from these tech companies (idk your financial situation so do you, I guess).

If you're artistic, draw, paint, and sculpt the idealized future you want to see.

If you're a musician, become more experimental with your tunes and collaborate with visual artists for your cover art.

If you're a creator, period, you have no idea just how powerful you are; everyone is inspired by art and depictions of what could be. Think of your art as a template for a new world.

Create in whichever way you know how. We aren't getting our Internet back but we sure as hell can steward a new one.

🕸️