Marking the Web’s 35th Birthday: An Open Letter

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the evolution of the World Wide Web, its original vision and intentions, and the current state of affairs where the web has been dominated by the self-interest of corporations, leading to the erosion of its core values. It also highlights the emerging movement to reform the web and create a more human-centric digital future.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Original Hope

1. What were the original intentions behind the invention of the web?

• The original intention behind the invention of the web was to allow for collaboration, foster compassion, and generate creativity - what the author terms the "3 C's".
• The web was envisioned as a tool to empower humanity.

2. How did the web fulfill its promise in the first decade?

• In the first decade, the web was decentralized with a long-tail of content and options, it created small, more localized communities, provided individual empowerment, and fostered huge value.

3. How has the web changed in the past decade?

• In the past decade, instead of embodying the original values, the web has played a part in eroding them, leading to consequences that are increasingly far-reaching.

[02] State of Affairs

1. What are the two clear, connected issues that need to be addressed?

• The first issue is the extent of power concentration, which contradicts the decentralized spirit originally envisioned.
• The second issue is the personal data market that has exploited people's time and data with the creation of deep profiles that allow for targeted advertising and control over the information people are fed.

2. What has led to these issues?

• Leadership, hindered by a lack of diversity, has steered the web away from a tool for public good and towards one that is subject to capitalist forces, resulting in monopolization.
• Governance has failed to correct this, with regulatory measures being outstripped by the rapid development of innovation.

3. What is needed to transform the current system?

• To truly transform the current system, we must simultaneously tackle its existing problems and champion the efforts of those working to build a new, improved system.

[03] Level Set

1. What is the new paradigm that is emerging?

• A new paradigm is emerging that places individuals' intention rather than attention at the heart of business models, freeing us from the constraints of the established order and returning control over our data.

2. Who are the innovators driving this new paradigm?

• The innovators driving this new paradigm come from diverse disciplines - research, policy, and product design - and are united in their pursuit of a web and related technologies that serve and empower us all.

3. What are some examples of the innovative solutions emerging?

• Examples include Bluesky and Mastadon, which don't feed off user engagement but still create group formation, Github, which provides online collaboration tools, and podcasts, which contribute to community knowledge.

[04] Fundamental Change

1. What are the key elements needed to reform the web and guide the development of emerging technologies?

• Innovative market solutions, forward-thinking legislation from governments, and engaged citizens demanding higher standards and greater accountability for their online experiences.

2. What is the Solid Protocol, and how does it contribute to the solution?

• The Solid Protocol is a specification and movement to provide each person with their own 'personal online data store' (POD), where individuals can decide how their data is managed, used, and shared.

3. What is the role of the Web Foundation in supporting this emergent movement?

• The Web Foundation, co-founded by the author, has and will continue to support and accelerate this emergent system and the people behind it.

[05] Call For Action

1. What is the urgent need identified in the article?

• There is an urgent need for others to back the morally courageous leadership that is rising, collectivize their solutions, and overturn the online world being dictated by profit to one that is dictated by the needs of humanity.

2. What is the potential of the online ecosystem if this call for action is realized?

• If this call for action is realized, the online ecosystem we all live in will reach its full potential and provide the foundations for creativity, collaboration, and compassion.