Internet Democracy isn't dead -- it evolved!

So, we have moved on to talking about You are Not a Gadget: a Manifesto by Jaron Lanier.

I'll admit at first I was very put off by Lanier's approach and conclusions. As I kept reading, my annoyance faded, but my questions grew. I had this nagging feeling that he was missing something.

As we discussed in class, Lanier views the self as infinite and wants the web to be sort of magnifying glass for the self. And his problem with the "open-web culture" is that it minimized the individual and emphasizes the group.

I couldn't help but think about Bellah in "Habits of the Heart". Bellah frames the individualizing that defines America culture as being wrapped up in ideas of democracy. The idea that our individual ideas and opinons are important and can revolutionize the whole.

That is how the internet has functioned since it's beginning. But, like any technology, its use has evolved. And to some extent, whether or not some people like that is irrelevant.  Recognizing how it has and how it continues to evolve is relevant.

I believe that the internet is evolving away from the 'democratic process' -- with foundations of individualism and self focused -- and toward a more, dare I say, socialist structure.

Now that may seem a little weird, but think about it. The focus is now on the“wisdom of the crowd" or what works for the most people. This isn't bad. It might be "un-American" (as ridiculous as that concept it). It's not the Borg. It's just different.

It's just different. And because of that our understandings and use of the internet needs to adjust with it. And being focused on the negative, focusing on the past. Why not look forward? Why not talk about what good things the "new" internet can do for us -- individually and collectively?