The Age of Technological Colonialism

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Hey Jessinternet users

Working as an SEO and digital marketing, I know first hand the work going on behind the scenes with Search engines like Google or Social media platforms like Facebook! I think it should come as no surprise to you that I don’t use these platforms for personal and private consumption.

It’s like working in a fast-food restaurant when you see how the sausage is made; you lose all appetite for it. You can try to preach, but ignorance is bliss; people love free access to stuff and data monetisation is a billion-dollar business, so everyone seems happy with the arrangement.

Now I’m all for people agreeing to be part of something as long as you have a choice. You choose to create a Gmail, you choose to create a Facebook account, and you choose how you use the service.

Where I start to have a problem is when there is no choice, and you’re funnelled into something.

Technological-colonialism.png

The illusion of choice

Silicon Valley tech companies have done amazing work in giving you the illusion of choice; if we look at Google, there are trillions of web pages to look at, you can go to page 22, but you won't. You trust the search algorithm to give you the best results on page 1.

If we look at Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram, there are millions of posts and accounts on it you can look for, but you trust their automated feeds to bring you content.

If we look at the app store, there are millions of apps, but you trust the ones recommended to you by the app store.

We never question it; we hardly think of it as being malicious. All these algos are there to help us altruistically, but really is that the case? Could it be them consolidating power and pushing traffic to the apps, content and behaviour that they want and find most profitable?

Cherry picking products

The digital landscape is a new frontier, a chance for us to build a world without nation-states, borders and control, but so far, it's become governed by certain corporations. We've centralised the point of content with the internet via certain platforms, and they are cherry-picking the content we engage with, and if we never question why we receive certain content, we become slaves to the algorithm. It will constantly accept your data to feed you more of what gets you to do what they want.

This could be more time on site, more engagement, more feeling shit about yourself, so you click on ads that solve those feelings.

These platforms are not only colonising the sovereignty of the internet but also the sovereignty of our minds.

Extracted value at home, now time to go abroad

Many of these platforms were born in developed markets like the US and Europe and now that they've suckered in large swaths of the population at home, it's time to go and invade other lands. Now countries that have had very little infrastructure have become their darling targets.

Promising these countries free access to the internet, all they have to do in return is ONLY access the internet via their platforms, read the content they distribute and engage with products and services they provide.

Sounds like a pretty mafia-Esque take over to me.

We've got a little taste of the internet through these filtered and nerf'd world in web 2.0, my hope is that with the web. 3.0 people are at least given the choice. If your access to the internet is open and unrestricted and you still choose to use Facebook by all means, but if it's your only method of accessing information, then we only leave ourselves open to living off the central discussion making of others.

Have your say

What do you good people of HIVE think?

So have at it, my Jessies! If you don't have something to comment, "I am a Jessie."

Let's connect

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21 comments
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Promising these countries free access to the internet, all they have to do in return is ONLY access the internet via their platforms, read the content they distribute and engage with products and services they provide

Sounds like a horrible idea. I don't want that type of centralized crap and I am hoping Starlink makes a dent in the internet space. But the latest news about Starlink doesn't bode well for the prices since its almost $500 for the devices and $100/month for the service.

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Lol I surely wouldn't want that shit intra-net, but for people who can't afford it I feel its a bit of a dick punch. Our internet here isn't cheap at all but its nowhere near those prices, I do wish we had more open internet, I know a lot of countries have ISP bans that throttle certain websites, or VPN bans like china and so the internet isn't as free as we'd like it to be, and it takes some learning to get around all that filter garbage.

Most people are using a curated internet since they just go to google and facebook and hardly leave it

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It's true that most people are on auto-pilot and subconsciously feeding the tech giants more information about themselves. These giant entities know more about us than we know about ourselves! But I believe that Blockchain tech will give individuals more control over their data, and more people will want that control as time goes on.

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I can't get my Mom off Amazon, and although our account is long cancelled, my wife still makes occasional orders via her friend's account. My children are trapped in a Republican majority school district. Sometimes I feel so alone.

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Lol the price people are willing to pay for convenience is sometimes shocking as if you're going to do so much with that extra few minutes you saved. I'll never understand people

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Oh totally and then they complain oh they so rich bla bla bla, take back your independence, yes it comes at a learning curve but look at the rewards. I am using HIVE and I get paid to contribute to this network, and I can leave whenever I like if I don't like it and take my money and value with me.

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Yes, in hindsight it's no surprise that internet 1.0 got swallowed up by the corporate centralization, predatory methods of colonialism. It is only now that the decentralized rebound is happening, actually exploring what networked yet independent means. Tech is always just another tool, to be used for human purposefullness and generative activities or for extraction and control.

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I also think so, the more something swings one way the greater the resistance and the need for something that brings a counter balance. I would at least like the choice of a free internet, and then I can choose if I want to use the "commercialised internet" if and when I need it.

But if we're all forced into this internet of ads and agendas I am not for it

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It is interesting to think that while these things are something that we use every day, there are still a large number of people in the world that don't have access to it or have never had the ability to access it. Scary as you said that these corporations are just chomping at the bit to invade those lands...

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Can you imagine billions of people who have no idea how sinister these products are and are all to happy to get "free" communication tools only to be monetised and they won't know how to use ad blockers or discern and add from content

It's pretty much a recipe for super profits

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Definitely sounds like it. Then there are those of us who know it is going on, but we just don't care. Like we keep using it anyway. I probably fall into that category sometimes. Convivence supersedes privacy.

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I’m totally guilty of it too, I don’t create content on those sites but I do message friends and family but that’s about it you can’t make a total break when so many people you still want to talk to are stuck in it

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It is pretty rare that I post on FB anymore. I do use it to keep up to date with friends and family.

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Well, if Facebook has taught us anything, it is that people are willing to sacrifice their privacy on the cheap.

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I try to remember everyone will eventually find their moment to capitulate and ill be here collecting cheap sats and tokens while I can, and if they want to have fun staying poor thats cool too man have your free messaging I don't care.

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When do we start doing seo for ddg?
Why do we have to bow to google?
Seems off to me.

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I don’t know why but we all love to use google it’s just become a behaviour that no one’s questions anymore

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Lol, I do, and have for years.
I last used google sometime after I heard about startpage, and then they made me mad over something and I moved to ddg because I haven't found an alternative, yet.

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And then you have all the wannabe "smart" guys/girls telling you "it's my choice" ohhh poor you...

!WINE

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LOL oh man don’t get me started most people I know thing in a complete nutter and a dumbass I don’t bother to give my opinion anymore I’m just going to be told it’s stupid hence I blog here and let my thoughts find somewhere to live

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