Promises of the Internet
One of the promises of the internet was a beautiful, borderless, world. Now with this situation, we are reclaiming that promise, partly :)
I remember early days of Internet and BBSes….it was exciting to reach out to people and the thrill of being on a new medium…text HTML loading (the 500 rupee student account) and when I saw my first images browsing www on Netscape Navigator.
I have been fortunate to be a part of the ‘light web’ — that part of the internet that has been used to connect across borders for good.
Just like the ‘dark web’ is supposedly a place for all the wrongs and evils of humanity, ‘light web’ is the place for birthing new possibilities using the power of internet.
Early days were using piratepad to make joint statements at the UN. Using tedious communication to organize ourselves and write out joint proposals. Get travel grants and meet each other in person :)
From there to deep dialogue that online spaces have enabled over the last few years, we’re evolving to use the cyberspace in newer ways.
While the ‘middle’ internet is filled with monopolies of Google, Facebook, Amazon and the likes, the ‘light’ internet is small apps and relationships that hold them in place.
As we go online, let’s use this to not only meet our own gangs but truly cross borders. Let us use our webinars not only to evangelise our own ideas but also to open up our minds to something new!
Together, we are creating new sense organs for humanity. Without realising it, we’re honouring some of the intent that the internet started out with.
And that makes me very happy :) Once we have glimpsed this possibility, it can be a portal for what the world that our hearts know is possible!
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Exploration into the origins of the Internet
https://medium.com/@abhishekthakore/hippies-hipsters-and-high-tech-7c93451fcd49
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Developing new organs for the planet
https://www.evolve-magazin.de/radio/new-sense-organs-for-a-global-consciousness/
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Sustainaware — our intercontinental tryst with sustainability in 2012