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So much for the decentralized internet
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So much for the decentralized internet

Ian Bogost
The Atlantic, 2020
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Eye Opening
  • Bold
  • Concrete Examples

Recommendation

Georgia Tech professor Ian Bogost makes an urgent argument in The Atlantic that the commercialization and centralization of the internet puts your political and economic well-being at risk. He traces the origin of the internet to the quest for a resilient United States’ communications networks during the Cold War. But the software overlay that giant technology companies created has led to the consolidation of users’ personal data and attention in the hands of just a few companies. Those services are frighteningly vulnerable to hacking and disinformation.

Take-Aways

  • The decentralized internet began as a way to preserve telephone service and military command-and-control in the event of nuclear war.
  • The centralization of the internet progressed rapidly as it became more popular and commercialized.
  • The prospect of nuclear war may seem distant, but the security risks inherent in today’s social media era are potentially disastrous.

About the Author

Ian Bogost, professor of Interactive Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology, is a contributing editor at The Atlantic and co-founder of Persuasive Games LLC.

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