I listen to this video The Story of the Internet and How it Broke Bad: A Call For Public-Interest Technologists by Bruce Schneier when I need inspiration and confidence. It reminds me of what is important, that we can change the world, and how I would like it to change.
We wanted to use our technology in our way.
Mind alike elitist people could finally form groups, in a exclusive way because most people don't get it.
We didn't believe in authority for its own sake. We had no hierarchies.
Authority is for the mass but it feels too arbitrary and unfair when you have little understanding. Elitist and ambitious people don't like that so they organise together without classic power management.
The government trying to use our tech against us, against everyone.
the first enemy, the biggest one
Private tech companies have greater power to influence, censor and control the lives of ordinary people than any government on earth.
The liberalization of the global market redistributed power in favor of international companies but tech ones are the fastest because they touch billions of people everyday.
They behave like old power, when they sided with old power, they took on the limits of old power as well. Power, especially old power that depends on gates and gatekeepers, needs people. It needs actual, ordinary people to accept its authority and to protect that authority.
Eternal fight between authority and rebellion. Sometimes, authority feels better than complete anarchy for ordinary people, but most of the time it surely prevent them from living their life as they want.
We need a new power, and it needs to be us.
We need to decentralize power. It seems to concentrates inevitably. It becomes poisoned. Tech accelerate this process.
Look around you. Who is your community? What can you give them? What can you do together as a people?
For whom are we working? Who benefits from us? Who exploits us? For what purpose?
Explicitly decide which future we will collectively create. Build something new, distribute power, inhabit government.