The myth of a capitalist internet

Can we just, once and for all, put an end to this falsehood that the internet would not exist without corporations and capitalism? It is easy for a teenage techie on a Jio connection to make such a claim because he has never seen the internet as being anything else. But the corporate internet is a relatively new and small subset of the world wide web.

When it originally came into being, the internet was closer to a virtual Communist / Socialist state than a corporate hierarchy. Even today, your websites are powered by systems like WordPress, an open source software. You communicate using email (and no corporate social network will let you sign up without an email address) which is an open protocol owned by no one.

The rise of corporate-owned social media platforms has happened in the post-2000 era. And it is completely possible that in a decade or so, we might be in a very different internet. We are on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram because that's what prevails now. But their prevalence isn't proof that nothing apart from them can prevail. To think so is to fall for capitalist propaganda.

The saddest / funniest part of this illusion is that it usually comes from the same people who spend their days and nights mourning the fact that we have all forgotten our precious ancient history. Start with recent history maybe?

Write a comment ...

Vimoh

Show your support

If my work has provided you with insight and entertainment, consider supporting it.

Recent Supporters

Write a comment ...