The vision I've been chasing is one of an internet without regret. It's an interesting conundrum, you see, when you look at the various platforms that populate our screens - Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, and more - they all provide instant gratification. Yet, they can consume immense amounts of our time, often leaving us questioning the value of what we've just spent hours on. This is the moment when you ask yourself, "Why do I now know the names of ten influencers who have no connection to my real-life goals?" The idea of 'time well spent' starts to unravel when we realize that these digital spaces are filled with, let's say, less than consequential information.
Let's shift the lens to something more constructive. I use Notion extensively, a personal knowledge management tool, a repository for my thoughts, ideas, and information - my "second brain," if you will. It's comforting to have this tool, to know that all my precious nuggets of knowledge are safely stored there. But what happens if Notion unexpectedly goes under? What if AWS, which it relies on, goes down when I need the information on this second brain badly to function (which has happened many times already)? Or worse, what if Notion or its payment handler decides to de-platform me for whatever reason? This reliance on centralized entities that might not always exist introduces an unsettling level of risk and fragility to our digital lives.
The companies that control our internet today, no matter how colossal, are not infallible. History bears witness to the countless projects that giants like Alphabet and Meta have shut down. And let's not even get started on the convoluted mess of importing and exporting data across platforms.
Here's where my dream of a regret-free internet comes into play. An internet where every iota of effort, every moment spent, is not just a drop in an ocean of inconsequential trivia but instead a step towards something meaningful. It's the concept of ownership, the idea of having a stake in what you contribute to, whether that's your ideas, your effort, or your time. We all want to be part of an internet where we're not merely contributing to the refinement of attention-hijacking AIs or endorsing the sales of unneeded items.
Instead, let's build a new internet where every action is goal-oriented, where every piece of information - consciously or passively contributed - aids our growth and helps us flourish. This is the kind of internet that I yearn for, the kind of internet that I'm determined to make a reality.