The Internet Is Complicated
Here's something I keep coming back to: what bothers me most about the current state of the internet isn't greed. Or unethical CEOs. Or lawmakers who don't understand technology. Those things are fixable. Give it enough political pressure, enough time, maybe things get better. They already have, microscopically.
What gets me is the ambivalence.
The digital world refuses to be simply good or evil. It won't split neatly into "analog good, digital bad" or "screen time versus real life." If it did, this would be so much easier.
Google made the internet what it is. They built a way to search data that anyone can understand intuitively. Henry Ford didn't make horses more comfortable. He made cars. Google did that for information.
Apple made computers and phones usable for everyone. I hate Apple. Both things are true.
Amazon invented online commerce as we know it. They showed how it could work.
And look, after a year of trying to quit Spotify: nothing else regularly finds me music that enriches my life. Nothing.
It's maddening. Evil companies with worse CEOs make products that genuinely improve how we live. Not just "easier." Better.
The argument that we've all become too comfortable is too shallow. This isn't about convenience. It's about capability.
It would be so simple if we could just choose against the bad actors and for open source, for analog alternatives, for independent developers. Some days I try. Right now I'm trying to make peace with KeePass on Android because I read about Proton's recent changes. But here's the thing: Proton Pass got me to use a password manager at all. It made me digitally safer. If only KeePass existed, every single day would be an act of will.
I don't have a conclusion here. Just noticing that the world is complicated, and pretending it isn't doesn't help anyone.
- John😎