TECH TALK: The Internet – At War with Itself

ERIC’S TECH TALK

by Eric Austin
Computer Technical Advisor

There’s a war going on, although you might not be aware of it. It’s a war between the almighty dollar and the information superhighway.

I began my career in the early ‘90s, just as the internet-fueled tech boom was taking off. I’ve watched the internet grow from a tiny seed in the mind of Al Gore (ha ha) to the social and economic juggernaut that it is today.

But even from its very inception there were two competing ideas fighting to shape its future. One was an outgrowth of a cultural groupthink: the “hippie” movement of the internet, if you will. It’s an apt comparison, as the philosophy it inspired hearkens back to that optimistic era of peace and love.

This group believed the internet was a chance for humans to reinvent themselves. To escape the shackles of corporatism and Gordon Gekko-greed that had defined the previous decade of the 1980s.

The phrase “information wants to be free” defined this school of thought.

The “open-source” software movement, based on the idea of collaborative genius — that a group of unfettered minds could create something greater than any of its individual parts — gave birth to the Linux operating system, Firefox browser, VLC Media Player, GIMP and many other software programs. Each of us benefits from this movement whenever we download free software distributed under the GNU General Public Software License. And while it’s still only a sliver of the desktop market in comparison to Microsoft Windows, Linux dominates on mobile devices (56 percent) and powers more than 40 percent of the world’s web servers.

You can see the influence of this collaborative philosophy everywhere on the internet, and the world wide web is a better place because of it.

But there is another entity on the internet. A menacing, dark presence that wants to swallow up the hope and optimism of the free information movement. This force seeks to monetize and control the avenues of free access which the internet currently fosters. Rather than bettering society through collaborative social effort, this capitalist creature wants to conquer in the name of cold hard cash. It wants to turn the internet superhighway into a toll road.

This shadow over the internet is cast by ISPs, digital distribution giants and communication companies seeking to cement their dominance over their respective consumer markets.

The debate over Net Neutrality is the most recent battle to be waged in the war of $$ vs WWW. It promises to provide greater stability, consistency and service, but takes away freedom, ingenuity and the unexpected.

I’m here to tell you this is a war we need. It’s one of the good wars. This struggle is what keeps corporate greed on its toes. It leaves room for small start-ups to make an unexpected splash, and keeps established familiars from becoming complacent – yet provides the structure and efficiency that stimulates growth.

Without one we wouldn’t have great services like Netflix and Amazon. But without the other, great services like Netflix and Amazon never would have gotten the chance.

Net Neutrality must be retained because it levels the playing field. It doesn’t prevent bullies on the playground, but it makes sure everyone has a fighting chance.

Support Net Neutrality, not because it’s the right thing to do — even though it is. Support it because without the conflict it creates we wouldn’t have the dynamic technical environment that we’ve enjoyed for the last 20 years.

This is one time when conflict is good. Besides, it frustrates the corporate overlords.

Good. Keep them frustrated.

Get involved! Visit goFCCyourself.com and join almost 11 million other Americans who have left comments with the FCC in support of Net Neutrality.

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