The internet has become so intrinsic to modern life that it is almost hard to believe that it did not exist a few decades ago. Despite early high expectations – and the genuine benefits of convenience it has provided – the internet has given us a whole new set of problems that we are only just coming to terms with. Moreover, these problems are evolving – and we are struggling to keep up.
How can we make sense of the effect the internet is having on society, our political system, and on our very minds? These four videos from Then & Now offer some thoughts.
How the Internet Was Stolen
The internet – as new as it is – has a history. In its earliest decades, many hoped that it would create the ultimate level playing field, on which innovators and creators would be continuously blazing new pathways and burning down the old. The expectation was that the virtual world would buck the trends and power structures of the physical world around it – and liberate us all. But instead, the history of the internet is a history of privatisation, manipulation, and of power being concentrated in the hands of a smaller and smaller group of individuals. This is the story of how the internet was stolen.
Why the Internet Hasn’t Fixed Democracy
Giving us almost unlimited access to information, providing a platform for people to connect to others and mobilise against the powerful and corrupt, and bypassing the traditional gatekeepers of narrative – in its early days the internet was expected to become a democratising force. But in the 2020s, democracy feels like it is consistently in retreat, and the internet feels more like the cause of, rather than the solution to, this problem. Through looking at a paradigmatic example of the kind of toxic conflict the internet has brought into existence – and via Wittgenstein, Sartre and Spinoza – this video explains how early hopes for the internet were frustrated, but also why we shouldn’t give up yet on it being a positive force for democracy.
How New Addictions Are Destroying Us
When someone says the word addiction, people usually think of substances. But with the rise of the internet, a new and equally pernicious form of addiction has exploded into being – and has come to effect nearly everyone. This is the story of how we all became hooked by limbic capitalism, a dopamine-engaging strategy of manipulation – for profit – that captures us through our screens, keeping us all hopelessly entranced.
How Big Tech is Ruining Your Attention
Welcome to the attention economy. Your attention is the currency, and social media companies compete in a race to the bottom of tricks to grab as much of it as they possibly can. In this battle between tech titans, we are the real losers. Our focus is destroyed, because our attention is more and more captured by things that really, we don’t want to be spending it on. This video explains how the attention economy works, and calls on us to pay attention to how we’re paying attention.
