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Geert LovinkA Dutch communications scientist argues that soon people will no longer be connected Website (at least partially) because its use in the future will have more disadvantages than advantages.
In this sense, he said in a statement, the Internet is currently “heading toward a point of no return, and the big tech companies probably already know this.” Report of the University of AmsterdamThe company he works for is an editor of interactive media.
Geert Lowink, a professor at the University of Amsterdam, has researched the Internet since the 1990s, when the network was expected to be a decentralized public infrastructure. Photo: Bob Bronsoff
End of an era?
Lovink argues that it is the demise of the Internet – which gives the title to his latest article The Internet of Destruction— should not be understood as a technological failure, but rather the exhaustion of “average” users who, at first, may have to pay a high psychological price for addiction and/or addiction to this technology and its many uses.
“Most of all the cost is psychological. Not only do many young people suffer from distorted self-image and anxiety disorders, but there is also outsourcing: some of the most important functions of our brains are outsourced,” says Lovink.
So “our short-term memory is deteriorating, and our attention is increasingly fragmented and directed in very specific ways,” says Lovink, who has researched the Internet since the 1990s, from search engines to social media.
More technical awareness
But that’s not all. Another reason people leave this great network is social control over users and their opinions expressed online.
In this case, Lovink gives the example of the United States, whose visa policy involves handing over your virtual identity from various platforms, and parts of China, such as Rongcheng. Social Credit System -A hybrid system of credit history and social behavior- assesses through points whether a citizen is trustworthy or not for various procedures.
“Our freedom of expression is not really there anymore […] We are already starting to see signs that people are expressing their opinions less and less,” he added regarding the situation in his country.
Although the demise of the Internet may have dire consequences, the social scientist is optimistic about other alternatives. “I think it’s possible that we’ll give it up. Different computer programs or other constructs may come out that make us less dependent on it,” he says.
“A year ago, the prospect of running out of gas was unimaginable, but now it’s a distinct possibility given the situation with Russia. Similarly, during weather emergencies, essential infrastructure such as electricity and internet are likely to go down,” he says.
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