Eventually, the disadvantages of sharing your opinion online will become so great that people will turn away from the internet. This is the argument made by Geert Löwenck, a professor at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS) and the University of Amsterdam, in his new article Extinction Internet. While Lovink’s previous research focused on critical counterculture and possible alternatives, such as fairer social media platforms, he now paints a future in which the Internet (in part) disappears and we are forced to abandon our technological addictions.
Loveneck has maintained its reputation as a pioneer of the Internet since its involvement with Digital City, a precursor to the Internet. Its founders envisioned it as a decentralized network, maintained by citizens, for citizens. “We lost that battle in spectacular fashion,” Lovenc sums up. The fact of the matter is that the Internet and addictive apps are in the hands of Big Tech, who care little about individual rights or society as a whole.
In his essay, Lovenk shares insights gained from 30 years of Internet criticism and counterculture research, a period in which he worked with art historians, artists, creative researchers, and meme makers. He’s researched Wikipedia, search engines, social media, cryptocurrency, and their profit models—always with the perspective that the internet is broken, but can and should be fixed (as Waag founder Marilyn Stecker also argues in her book).
unfixable?
But in the past six months, Loveneck has begun to change his mind. Can the internet actually be fixed? There may come a point where this is no longer possible, after which time the negative consequences can no longer be controlled. The Internet is heading toward a point of no return, and big tech companies are probably already aware of that, too. Mark Zuckerberg walked away from his social media platforms and launched Meta, as if nothing was wrong and we could start over, but it’s clearly already broken.
Opinions have consequences
Lovenc sees this point of no return approaching because now “ordinary” users are increasingly having to pay the price for our long-term dependence on the Internet and our addiction to social media and apps. This price is primarily psychological. Not only do so many young people suffer from distorted self-image and anxiety disorders, there has also been job externalization: some crucial functions of our brains are being outsourced. Our short-term memory is getting worse, and our attention is becoming increasingly scattered and very specially directed.
At the same time, social censorship is increasing and users are being watched closely. “Our supposed freedom of expression no longer exists in reality,” Lovenk asserts. The consequences for those who share non-mainstream opinions online, for example regarding their work or circle of friends, have now reached the Netherlands as well. “We’re really starting to see signs that people are posting their opinions less and less.”
Repercussions are also to be expected here as control becomes increasingly more complex. In China, you can’t get on the train if you have a “wrong” opinion. In the US, you are required to share all of your social media profiles if you want to apply for a visa. It doesn’t seem like things are so bad in Western Europe yet, but your online activity is so traceable and visible now that there’s a very real possibility that at some point people won’t be able to travel or get a mortgage or insurance.
Eventually, Lovenk believes, this sophisticated control will become so pervasive, even here in the Netherlands, that people will eventually move off the Internet. “I think people will start avoiding technology.” He draws parallels with the climate crisis: “The climate emergency has reached a point of irreversibility. People are starting to act en masse because individual actions like installing solar panels are no longer enough.
Internet extinction
Looking ahead a little bit, things get even more dramatic. Loveneck paints a scenario that he refers to as the “Internet of Extinction.” This may sound like we’re all going to go extinct, but that’s not what it means. However, he envisions a future in which some services will not be available – also in light of the geopolitical situation and the climate crisis – and this, in turn, will lead to reduced or disconnected access to the Internet.
The idea of losing an internet connection may seem unthinkable, especially to young people, but it is essential that we take a critical look at the future. A year ago, the prospect of no gas would have been unimaginable, however, given the situation with Russia, this is a distinct possibility. In the same way, due to climate emergencies, it is also possible that necessary infrastructure, such as electricity, will collapse, and the Internet will decline with it. With the entire population dependent on it, the likes of Elon Musk are bound to come along to offer a very expensive and exclusive satellite connection.
While this would have dire consequences, Loveneck believes we can finally free ourselves from the clutches of the internet. I think we can wean ourselves off it. Different programs or other combinations may appear that make us less dependent. It is good to revisit the efficiency argument. How important is remote control of all bridges to us? Why should bridge stations be converted into hotel rooms? What is the argument for this new efficiency? How convincing is he?
The Netherlands is in the grip of big business
Although many other countries still see the Netherlands as a free port, in reality our country is completely controlled by big corporations. Löwenk: “And we are proud of that too. However, it seems that we have recently reached a turning point, when the proposed huge data center in Zeewolde was rejected. The residents rightly asked the question: Why do we want to use our green energy to power the Facebook data center? At a certain point, it is no longer The company’s argument is convincing.The question we must ask our government in the end is, Why have you made yourselves so dependent, and can you still sell this to us as advances?
The long winter is behind us
In his article, Lovenc looks back at the early 1990s: a naive phase when the Internet was seen as a decentralized public infrastructure, the so-called “short summer” of the Internet. After 9/11, a repressive phase began in which the Internet was increasingly used as a mechanism of control. Meanwhile, emerging market forces have led to an upward trend of individualism in the Netherlands. By 2011, social media had secured its hold on society and Lovinc began to criticize it through campaigns, research and counter-movements on the social media platforms themselves. Many people are now familiar with this criticism. We were also working on social media alternatives during that time, but in that particular area we weren’t able to make much headway. We are coming out of a difficult period of time. This long winter, which lasted 19 years, during which we suffered many setbacks, is part of my history. On the plus side, it’s promising that there’s been a real shift in awareness in the past three years about what we stand for. There has been a fusion of movements around Occupy, #MeToo, and climate. Now that emergencies have swelled our ranks, we’ve left the long winter behind.
Originally posted 2022-12-12 13:40:15.