The comparison in the very beginning of the internet being taken for granted like electricity was really interesting to think about. When electricity was first discovered, I assume this discovery was profound and greatly impacted all aspects of people’s lives, and today it is as described “expected”. I know that I already mentioned AI in my last reflection, but it is such an emerging and rising topic that piques my interest. Will AI become “taken for granted” like electricity and the internet? Will future generations think to themselves “how did previous generations not live with AI?”
Pay walls, subscriptions, and access to the web are on the rise. Does this go against our web rights? There is also some discussion regarding freedom of speech which I find quite interesting — how the restriction of our freedoms was a concern in 2010 when this was published, given the recent news with ABC and concerns over the government limiting our freedom of speech.
Another thing that stood out to me was the discussion of apps. Today, almost every company, brand, etc. has an app. Apps are easy, accessible, and effective ways for consumers and people to become involved with a brand, store, company, etc. However, this article describes the emergence of apps as “disturbing” since it’s off the web. I think this was maybe a little… dramatic? I’d like to hear more about this topic to form a better opinion, but I don’t think I agree with the choice of words as “disturbing.” “Concerning” or “worth paying attention to” might be better.
All in all, I think network rights are such an interesting topic that I honestly had not thought about much before. I really liked hearing about everything that the web offers, because as a user of the web, I was made aware that there are plenty of things the web provides that I don’t second guess. A pretty interesting read, and I could definitely understand the point of view of the article, but there was also a strong bias — which is fine, but just something I noticed!
One immediate thought that came to mind was one I had while reading Long Live the Web: how do we draw the line between censoring for safety versus limiting “free speech”? How is this organization enacting/regulating its missions? Because to me, these principles are things that seem unquestionably desired. In a perfect world, the internet would follow these principles.
I guess my thoughts while reading this were “Great! So now what?” However, I do believe this manifesto serves as a good framework as to how we should utilize, think, and interact with the internet.