In Part 1 of SOLUENCY's Journey to Web3, I discussed the evolution of the World Wide Web and why I believe Big Tech companies are bad for the Internet. In this post, I want to go into more detail about why these companies are harmful and what we can do to fight back. Web 2.0 applications and social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube have a negative impact on our society. They manipulate people's views and emotions to make a profit, and this is having a devastating impact on our world.
Web 2.0 applications and social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube have a negative impact on our society.
Rob Lederhilger
These tech giants are literally tearing apart the fabric of our society. Big Tech makes big money by showing us ads and selling our data. They are not interested in our well-being; they only care about making money. The more time you spend in front of a screen, the more money they make.
Polarizing content tends to get the most engagement, so that's what they show us. This is creating a divided society where people are constantly fighting with each other instead of working together to solve problems. Not interested in that type of content? No problem, they'll just algorithmically show you content that is designed to keep you engaged. And if you're still not engaged, they'll send you notifications to make sure you never miss a beat.
What about our youth? They're the future, and they're being raised on this content. How will they be able to think critically and make informed decisions when they're constantly being bombarded with disinformation? How is social media impacting their mental health and well-being? What is this doing to our attention spans? Research has shown that the average attention span has decreased from 12 seconds in 2000, to just eight seconds in 2015. And it's only going to get worse!
To be fair, I don't think they set out to create such a terrible system or destroy humanity, but that's what it has become. They're just trying to make money and they don't care about the consequences. However, I do believe they intentionally design their apps to be “sticky” and keep people using them as much as possible. It's no secret that many of the most popular apps and websites are designed to be addictive. Social media, gaming, and even email and news apps are all engineered to keep us coming back for more. While there's nothing inherently wrong with this, it can become a problem when people become addicted to their screens and spend hours upon hours staring at them each day. Addiction is a serious issue, and it's only getting worse as our technology becomes more and more advanced. The addiction can lead to a variety of problems, including social isolation, anxiety, depression, and even physical health issues.
The current model is unsustainable and I think they've proven this experiment of monetizing web applications via advertising is faulty and we need a better way. The Internet was supposed to be a good thing and it still has the potential to be an amazing tool for humanity. But it's being held back by a few giant corporations who are motivated by profit instead of people.
The time has come for a change. We need to take back control of the Internet and make it what it was meant to be: a tool for us, by us. We need to fight back against these big tech companies and take control of the Internet. We can do this by building Web3 applications that respect our privacy and data, that are decentralized, and that empower individuals instead of corporations. We need to create a new Internet that is based on freedom, not profits.
We need to build a new Internet that is decentralized and powered by blockchain technology. At Soluency, we are committed to building this new Internet. Stay tuned for Part 3 of our Journey to Web3 where I'll explain what exactly is Web3 and how we plan to be a part of building it. Thanks for reading!
Soluency is Committed to Web3
Web3 is the next generation of the world wide web, where users are in control of their data and applications. Our Web3 Hosting is revolutionary and will change the way people use the Internet.