Networked Humanity

Utopia

Circa 2040. The system works. “Internet” is archaic usage. It’s called the Network now. It’s the tree of life around which human consciousness revolves and depends on. Everything falls into place thanks to all the data streams flying across the internet. Public infrastructure dynamically adjusts schedules, repairs, inventories, and routes to account for chinks in the armour. Loopholes have ceased to exist.

 For once, you can tell what your spouse or your rebellious teenage kid wants on her birthday because their data tells the shoppingbot exactly what they want. Command and Conquer used to be a game once upon a time. Its reality now.  Smart services using artificial intelligence help us better manage our workloads. Our lives are clutter-free and streamlined.

The network is a truly private space. None of the spying and surveillance from the first decade of the century. You look back at internet surveillance the way your parents looked back on child labour – as something that most people just don’t accept any more. 

Your life now has the precision of a guided missile system. Just fire and forget. Thy will  be done.

Sounds good, doesn't it?  But wait. Does it sound a little too good ? Is the Matrix taking over ? Are we allowing the cold stone hammer of prosaic technology to wipe out the inherent poetic imperfection of human life – with all the folly and the capacity to operate independently ?

Are we individually biological organisms but a collective cyborg ?

Dystopia

Circa 2040. The world is a darker place. Cyber-crime lords over the network. Identity theft and financial system hacking are the biggest issues facing humanity apart from the environment and growing joblessness owing to all the automation. Trolls have taken over social networking.

The internet is far from being democratic. The rich have a new landscape to dominate. The web is systematically priced and segmented – monopolizing its most important resources.  People’s every move is constantly monitored by secret police using networked sensors and internet communications. The common man – you and me – we shudder at the thought of going online.

The internet has a new synonym – threatbed.

Your life is mapped out for you. Free choice has effectively been taken out of the equation. If you can afford it, you’re safe. But safety comes with regulations. Regulations you have no control over.

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The internet is helping the rich get richer and has  devolved into a tool to further marginalize people who are less fortunate. Poverty is connected to non-connectivity. And being connected is dangerous. The proverbial devil and the deep sea situation awaits us everywhere.

Crossroads

How do we keep the internet democratized and egalitarian? By safeguarding net neutrality. This means a web that is open, decentralized and universally accessible.

But it’s a lost battle already, many believe. For instance, the US DC Circuit Court of Appeals recently struck down network neutrality rules. This allows wealthy corporations to stifle competition by outpaying content from other data sources. The rich win. Data quality goes for a toss.

 We need to revisit our Microeconomics lectures where Professor Sahoo asked us a very pertinent question that drives the debate for neutrality today – Is monopoly good for the consumer ?

The web is a place balanced by the diverse intentions of the many who use it. It is starting to become and will certainly become the next battleground for human consciousness.

The web is the repository of the memories of our species, of our world. As people who will have a stake in shaping the world future generations will inhabit, we need to keep one thing in mind-

The Internet is, and will remain a diverse reflection of our species. Don’t be greedy.