We may have lost the internet, but it is still down to us to work towards regaining control of our information and the tools we use to handle it. Owing to the generations that come after us, it is our responsibility really.
The Big 5 Own What Is Ours
Today, most of the information we consume and transmit in Europe and the US goes through a device controlled by one of “the big five” corporations. Private firms, that together hold a near monopoly on smartphone operating systems, workplace infrastructure and cloud services.
We Are Overwhelmed
Digitisation has taken hold of our lives at such speed, that we keep running behind, struggling to understand how things work. We’ve been bought by awesome design and fantastic user interfaces. They address all our weak spots, we succumb and even if we try to resist we are drawn by peer pressure, where not owning a smartphone is as exotic as it gets. We are overwhelmed.
We Must Create Alternatives
We need to ask for alternatives, build alternatives and use them wherever we can. We need to learn about systems and information, about free software and the value of it. We need to start believing that really nothing is for free and start valuing the work people put into free and open source software. We need to try to understand the business and the politics of information systems and flows.
We Are Responsible
We must take responsibility for our actions and start working towards regaining control over information systems, networks and devices. They have become too central to our lives for us to keep delegating the responsibility for them.