When the great writers of 1950s envisioned the future of the computers, they depicted a giant centralized repository of all human knowledge, working tirelessly for the benefit of the society, because it was simply unthinkable to them that such a great power would be used for anything less grand.<p>Instead, (borrowing a popular internet meme) we use the computing power to throw birds at pigs.<p>I think you&#x27;re misguided in looking at the Internet as &quot;one global venue of communication.&quot;  Users of the Internet don&#x27;t need a network for global cooperation.  They don&#x27;t need a better world.  They need a tool where you can talk to your friends and send them funny cat video (or the latest kernel patch, or whatever they feel like to share at that moment).