Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ Amid the Hype over Web3, Informed Skepticism Is Critical

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

If you haven't been following web3 and distributed learning technologies for the last few years, this hype may be appearing out of nowhere, evidence of a frenzied "must-be-building ethos is rampant in the tech industry." Had we moved more slowly and carefully, argues Elizabeth Renieris, "we could be further along in addressing some of Web 2.0's failings by now." Maybe. But it's not like people haven't been trying to fix Web 2.0, rather, it's likely that a web controlled by Amazon, Facebook and Google inherently can't be fixed. Yes, there is a danger that "web3 will have us sell ourselves as it doubles down on extractivism, turning every interaction into a commercial transaction." But it's not web3 that creates that danger; it is an economic system based on commodification, extraction of value, and concentration of wealth. We need to stop blaming technology - past and future - for social dysfunction.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: May 02, 2024 2:11 p.m.

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