Maybe we shouldn't want a fully decentralized web
I like that people write about this kind of things, as it shows they care about the direction they are walking towards. The essay is more an exposition of uncertainty and personal preference than actual arguments, but it&#x27;s a good start to get more people talking about it. So let&#x27;s do that.<p>I&#x27;d like to focus on one point: when you have millions of people interconnected, even &quot;radical&quot; ideas can find a place and resonate with others, and even become amplified. Gwern&#x27;s &quot;the melancholy of subculture society&quot; [0] might be a good introduction to the topic. This is not inherently good or bad. We might be afraid of nazis of whatever, but the same dynamics also benefit oppressed groups and minorities for whom anonymity and this opportunity to connect with other people in similar situations is highly beneficial. I recently watched a video where Diana Fleischman presented this argument in favor of anonymity: without it, there might be no escape from certain totalitarian and manipulative regimes. Now, you might pick a side if you want. The truth is that we see examples of both in today&#x27;s world. You might say that education could help with extremist views, so we shouldn&#x27;t give up on decentralized, anonymous, uncensorable networks. You might say the same about totalitarian regimes or centralized monopolistic powers.<p>From a practical perspective, I think a good start is to acknowledge that decentralized and uncensorable networks already have good proofs of concept, and that in the future they will indeed become accessible to everyone. The question is not whether they will become mainstream or not, but what are the challenges we have to prepare ourselves for in case they do become mainstream. And to do that we need a deeper understanding of the dynamics of these small groups, and, in general, of online interaction. And again, this is already happening, even if decentralized networks could make this even more common. So I think the best path forward is to start educating people on the &quot;dark sides&quot; of online interaction: how the lack of eye contact and physical presence allows you to express yourself with less consideration of others (they can&#x27;t punch you back even if you are rude), how echo chambers work, how extremist views are amplificated online because it&#x27;s almost the only medium where they can expand through (and how that&#x27;s not an accurate reflection of the average perspective on a topic), how conversation is highly decontextualized, how addiction, FOMO and infinite scroll impair our attention and might even induce a feeling or sense of detemporalization in our lives, etc. Summarizing, how online conditioning makes us act as different creatures than in real life, and the need to be able to tell those creatures appart, both in others and ourselves. Of course, real life has its own share of conditioning too. What&#x27;s even the real you. Have fun.<p>[0] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.gwern.net&#x2F;The-Melancholy-of-Subculture-Society" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.gwern.net&#x2F;The-Melancholy-of-Subculture-Society</a>