The internet, once a wild frontier of boundless possibility, has become increasingly dominated by a handful of powerful corporations. These tech giants, driven by profit and growth, have fundamentally altered the online landscape, raising concerns about data privacy, manipulation, and the very nature of online interaction. Everything is OWNED and CURATED by these corporations for profit and greed.
From the relentless pursuit of user attention through addictive algorithms to the insidious collection and monetization of personal data, the current state of the internet leaves much to be desired. We face a myriad of challenges:
Data Privacy Violations: Our personal information is constantly collected and analyzed, often without our full knowledge or consent. Your pictures, ideas, preferences are sold to bidders automatically. (Yes, you agreed when you signed up!) The vast amount of data collected by these companies enables unprecedented levels of surveillance, potentially leading to a erosion of civil liberties. The Commodification of Our Data: Our personal data is treated as a commodity, collected and monetized without adequate user control or compensation.
Erosion of Privacy and anonimity: Constant surveillance and tracking erode our anonymity and privacy online. You can no longer use a system without giving away a great deal of data about yourself. Name, email, phone number, all these are used to track you and create a pesona. So you’re later sold ideas and products.
Manipulation and Persuasion: Algorithms manipulate our feeds, creating echo chambers and influencing our opinions. Algorithms can create filter bubbles, limiting our exposure to diverse viewpoints and hindering the development of nuanced perspectives.
Spread of Misinformation: The ease of sharing information online has facilitated the spread of misinformation and “fake news.” Bots and “get rich quick” schemes corrupt people’s minds and wallets.
Erosion of Critical Thinking Skills: The curated feeds and personalized content presented by these platforms can limit our exposure to diverse perspectives and hinder the development of critical thinking skills. Especially important in teens and especially everyone.
Dependence and Addiction: Social media platforms exploit our psychological vulnerabilities, fostering addictive behaviors and distracting us from meaningful connections.
The Impact on Mental Health: The constant pressure to be “online” and the fear of missing out can have a significant negative impact on mental health
Erosion of Digital Sovereignty: We’ve become increasingly reliant on these platforms, losing control over our own data and online identities. A few dominant platforms dictate our online experiences, stifling innovation and diversity. If you don’t conform, you are shadowbanned.
The “Black Box” Problem: The opaque nature of algorithms makes it difficult to understand how decisions are made and how our data is being used. Worse, it creates closed systems in which people compete and waste their lives bidding to these algorithms to make them “viral”. Think of SEO (search engine optimization) and optimizing youtube videos to entice people to click. Not providing any real value. Keeping people on these platforms and making content creators focus on seducing people instead of providing real valuable information.
The Threat to Democracy: The influence of Big Tech on elections and public discourse poses a significant threat to democratic processes. See the 2024 Romanian Presidential elections as ONE single example of this phenomenon. Don’t be fooled, this has been going on for ages, it’s now more evident than ever.
The Digital Literacy Devide: The gap between those who have access to technology and those who do not is shrinking. But the gap between those who THINK and use it properly and the bandwagon effect who just scroll mindlessly grows each day.
Environmental Impact: The massive data centers that power these platforms consume vast amounts of energy and contribute to environmental degradation. Cloud computing, AI/ML and cryptocurrencies all consume more energy than many medium sized nations!
Hustle & Efficiency paradox: Automation and AI driven by these companies are making people invest in them “to make their lives easier” yet I haven’t seen nations or companies announce “we’ve entered the 4 hour workday”. We often create bullshit jobs which are useless and just increase bureaucracy to the point we loose more time on administrative tasks than on enjoying life in nature.
Loss of Control Over Our Attention: Constant distractions and interruptions from social media and other online services hinder our ability to focus and be present in day to day moments.
The “Attention Economy” and its Harms: The relentless pursuit of user attention by these platforms has led to a decline in meaningful human interaction and a focus on short-term gratification. Companies and people don’t care about the planet, they care about profits and views. THus creating content which is rotting our brains away.
Lack of Transparency and Accountability: These companies often lack transparency in their algorithms and decision-making processes, making it difficult to hold them accountable for their actions.
This is not paranoia nor we’re contantly being tracked and shown ads which impact our decision making. We get into a perpetual vicious cycle of trying to please the overlords of social media which make us spend energy/time writing/building content which is fenced behind walls and we risk being shadowbanned, and trying to keep others on these platforms. Instead, there is another better way to build content.
Reclaim your Digital Sovereignity
By reclaiming our digital sovereignty and embracing self-hosting , we can break free from the limitations imposed by these powerful corporations. To be truly free we must disconnect from all technology, and while this may sound romantic, it’s not always possible.
Zendenpen offers a path towards a more independent and fulfilling online experience.
On Zendenpen, you have the power to:
- Host your own static website: Share your thoughts, projects, and passions on your own terms.
- Connect with a community and build a Web of Wisdom : Engage with like-minded individuals who value independence, privacy and want to curate valuable ideas and knowledge.
- Reclaim control over your data: Own your online space and determine how YOU want people to see it.
- Support a more decentralized and equitable internet: Join a movement of individuals who are building a better future for the web.
By choosing to host your own website on Zendenpen , you are taking a stand against the current state of the internet and contributing to a more just and equitable online ecosystem.
Join us in reclaiming the internet – one website at a time.
Making the Internet Great again in 7 simple steps
The solution to the current internet problem is to make the internet great again in 7 simple steps. These are interconneced and they’re. It’s just like building your own “social media network” except, YOU own the algorithm
- Quitting ALL forms of social media and existing chat platforms and replacing them with:
- Hosting your OWN website and owning your own piece of the internet - Getting started is easy
- Join or build REAL valuable communities which foster wisdom and CHAT in a open source software like IRC which you can self-host anytime and which allows you to extend it’s features using BOTS #TODO
- Create your own webrings TODO to share connections to people/websites/ideas you ENJOY.This makes it easy for when someone comes to your website, so they - THIS is what the internet was supposed to be
- Set up and use RSS feeds from your friend’s own websites to get the latest modifications from data you WANT to follow.
- Share TRUE wisdom and KNOWLEDGEABLE information
- You can extend your presence by going further and self-hosting your own software .
Iterate and improve at each step. You don’t have to have a perfect site from day 1.
Why ActivityPUB, FEderation, mastodon is not the solution
Federation might seem a good idea. And for some people it’s an alternative. I’ve tried to build an independent web, I even went into ActivityPub, but It felt like rebuilding a huge social media is NOT THE SOLUTION. THe solution to these problems lies more in ideas like IndieWeb
What others are saying
There are plenty of other people concerned with the small beautiful web web0 decentralization manifesto .