Utopia

“The Internet abdicates control to the individual; that is its special allure, its power to be endlessly surprising, as well as its founding principle” (Wu 266). This statement emphasizes the greatest advantage of the Internet: it empowers the individual. One can see and listen to everything he or she wants. Of course there is the issue of copyright, so, in this context, the word “everything” is relative. However, if one thinks of what you can do on the Internet, the openness of the system is simply amazing. Writing a blog, creating a profile, staying in touch with the latest news, connecting with people from all over the world, reading your email, watching a video, all of these and much more comprise the Internet as we know it. If radio was considered in its infancy the ideal information medium then how is the Internet?

A revolution… It is true that the Internet has redefined the meaning of the word “open”. Nonetheless, Wu claims that “when we look carefully at the twentieth century, we soon find that the Internet wasn’t the first information technology supposed to have changed everything forever” (5). And the recollections of the evolution of telephony, radio, film, and television have indeed supported his claim. So, it is more than normal to ask ourselves if the Internet will also fall victim to the “gang of octopuses” (Wu 235).

Going back to the Internet’s founding principle we see the difference between the Internet and all the other information industries. The latter concentrated the power to the innovator, and later, the monopolist. At the same time, there is one detail of the Internet’s design that makes it as vulnerable as the other inventions – its infrastructure, or “the pipes” through which the information comes to us. This is the “Achilles heel” that even the greatest powers of the media, once baffled by the Internet, have spotted and wish to use it to their advantage.

History has shown that “the objectives of creating information are often at odds with those of disseminating it” (Wu 305). This has often led to vertical integration as in the case of the film industry. So, who can be sure that a combination such as Apple, AT&T, and Hollywood, is not looming on the horizon? This is just one example that Wu introduces in order to show how the most powerful media conglomerates could take over the electronic media and the entertainment.

Wu proposes a Separation Principle which is definitely the logical solution. Still, how do you keep the conglomerates away? AT&T was broken up by the government in an effort to promote a competitive market. Soon though, the “perennial Phoenix” (Wu 252), found its way back to the top by lending a hand (or an ear) to the administration. As Wu suggests it is not only government and the law that can protect us.

What appears to be even more important is, as Wu concludes, the population’s “information morality” (315). This is simply a matter of not being indifferent to what takes place in the information industry, such as the banning a website from the Internet. Undoubtedly, there is something more besides the flashy Apple or the “smart” smartphones.

We have the power right now. I regard it as optimism, though some might argue it is naïve of me to say. Yet, I believe that we can still remain in control of the Internet in the future. It is not too late, right?