Mike Masnick @masnick.com · Jun 3 The key argument is that centralized systems aren't *just* leading to enshittification (a la @doctorow.pluralistic.net), but also to "despotification." The centralized systems create chokepoints that become targets not just of profit rent seekers, but political ones as well.
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Interestingly enough, in a tech world mindset, I read 'despot'ification as 'de-spotiy'cation! and was a bit befuddled! ;)
See also the change of science grants being approved by political flunkies not peer review. Peer review isn’t perfect, but what gets funded based on greed is not ‘pure’ science. What needs to be researched won’t be. Bureaucracy is not in itself evil.
@masnick.com I really valued this piece, Mike. Very insightful, thanks for the word Despotification. Yet, its easy to imagine that the pursuit of an economic model for decentralized protocols and apos could again bend us toward surveillance ad tech. Rather than one big Facebook, a thousand […]
Control over centralized chokepoints becomes a team effort between those seeking to extract both economic & political power.