A few weeks ago, I wrote about my disillusionment with the current state of the web. Let's go a little deeper today!

It seems we’re living with two versions of the web right now, and I don’t like either...

The first is chaos, or some kind of digital anarchy. Naturally, I’m drawn to ideas like this. An open version of the web, raw, unfiltered, unmoderated. A space without gatekeepers, where ideas can flow freely, and truth could rise to the surface through debate or our collective intelligence.

That was the original dream of the internet, the decentralised exchange of ideas, a meritocracy of knowledge.

However, this freedom sometimes turns toxic. It’s open for abuse, manipulation, and noise.... A lot of noise.

Look at X. I actually like the idea behind the current version, everyone can say whatever they want (within certain limits), that speech isn’t controlled by a handful of moderators or hidden rules.

But in practice, it does not seem to work that way. What was once a platform for open dialogue first turned into an over-moderated environment, and now often feels like a shouting contest powered by quick outrage and bots.

So, we turn to the other option: centralised control. Platforms wrapped in safety and moderation, built on algorithms deciding what’s acceptable. Anyone who knows me knows this isn’t my kind of freedom either. You’re safe from the garbage, yes, but also trapped in an information bubble managed by… well, who exactly?

We’ve gone from building the web to being built by it.

Maybe, the open web asked too much of us? Constant vigilance, critical thought, resilience against chaos. The controlled web asks too little? Just passive agreement and endless consumption.

In any case, both reduce our capacity for having a genuine dialogue. In the end, neither feels like progress. One drains our energy; the other dulls our mind. Both make us dependent.

So what options do we really have?

Do we try to find a balance in the middle?

Or… just maybe, there is a third option.

(later more…)