Media needs decentralization now more than ever - Part 1: The existing dilemma

The current media paradigm threatens the most basic freedoms and democracy. As Plato predicted in The Republic, democracy is showing signs of backsliding towards autocracy/oligarchy around the world. At the same time, a new group of " Technocrats " seem to be " complicit " with these autocrats/oligarchs. This situation is like the original arena for lions and antelopes turning into a hunting ground for wolves to prey on sheep.

Today, the world is in urgent need of a media revolution and reconstruction. In this article, I first explain the word "media" to set the tone for the rest of the discussion, and then explain how today's media landscape endangers people's lives and the functioning of society.

(In a later part 2, I will argue that a new paradigm of decentralized media is necessary and possible)

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Understand the medium

When people talk about "media," they're usually referring to the news, social media, film and television, music, and other things that have become a part of our daily lives. However, most people don't realize that when they refer to all of these things simply as "media," they are actually referring to two things: content and medium .

Content is the information itself, while medium is the technology used to deliver the content. The content is my article you are reading, and the medium is the written language. Writing is a technology, the most influential technology. When words are written, writing is the medium that carries them. When technology is placed within a sociocultural context, it becomes a medium.

(In McLuhan’s theory, any technology can be regarded as a medium, or technology is a medium to some extent. He even considered the light bulb to be a medium. However, the medium discussed in this blog does not require this level of generalization)

The medium is the message"--Marshall McLuhan

McLuhan (the man who predicted the advent of the Internet thirty years before its emergence) said this to remind people that the surface information of the content always conceals the deeper information of the medium, and it is the medium that we should explore .

With technological innovation and the passage of time, media and the world are constantly undergoing transformation. When savages began to help and communicate with each other for a better survival, society and civilization were born; when writing appeared, laws and property were written down; when the pope used printing to spread religion in the 15th century, he did not It was anticipated that this would lead to the later " God is Dead " liberation movement. When we talk about media, what we should really be talking about are media—the bedrock of politics, culture, and society.

We are currently at the height of the information revolution, and it is critical to understand how changes in media impact society. To illustrate this point, allow me to offer a brief retrospective (focusing only on the evolution of media from the 15th century to today):

It all started in the printing age (specifically the period when printing was popularized in Europe). Thanks to the invention of the printing press, knowledge in written form was no longer the preserve of the rich and powerful. The cost of printing a book dropped dramatically, making better education affordable for most middle-class families. The democratization of knowledge during this period led to increased literacy and educational reforms, paving the way for advances in the arts and sciences, the Reformation, and later the Renaissance. In addition, many new political philosophies were spread, revolutions broke out, and monarchies were overthrown. This was the first and most influential democratization of information.

The next major advance was the telegraph, which allowed information to cross the boundaries of time and space. The transmission of information no longer relies on transportation but cables. Authorities around the world can send and receive information instantly. When the Titanic sank in 1912, the world knew about it within a day . Business and politics have since become global affairs.

Subsequently, the broadcasting industry flourished, and radio and television were widely adopted. This is the advent of mass media. Information is no longer limited to written form but can also be disseminated through audio-visual channels. Unlike reading, which requires deep abstract thinking, listening and watching are easier to understand and more persuasive. Mass media is the perfect tool for political propaganda and social integration, reaching a wider national audience.

Now, we have finally entered the Information Age, the era in which we live. The Internet bubble truly brought most of the world's people together in the " global village ". All the media we have discussed so far have become digital, and many more have emerged on top of that. Social media turned text into Tweets, pictures into Instagram, and videos into TikTok (I mean their original functions). Information transmission technology that only existed in science fiction literature in the past is no longer a pure fantasy, but a foreseeable reality. Artificial intelligence is booming; mixed reality technology is being increasingly adopted (Vision Pro); brain-computer interfaces are being researched and experimented with (Neurallink).

Wow, it sounds like the future is bright?

actually not. The future looks more like a dystopia from 1984 or Brave New World to me.

Information Age - Dystopia

🎶 🎶 ...no thoughts to think about, no tears to cry, suck it all up, just the last breath left, bartender, what's wrong with me, why am I out of breath, captain said sorry, ma'am, this The species has entertained itself to death, entertained itself to death...--Roger Water🎶🎶

As mentioned earlier, McLuhan warned that the message in a medium is always obscured by the content. People don’t realize (or don’t bother to think about) the influence of the medium when consuming content.

The medium is the metaphor" - Neil Postman

Postman further elaborated on McLuhan's dictum. He believes that the mainstream media of an era are metaphors for the way people think and communicate at that time, as well as the way society operates. His argument was made shortly after the Golden Age of Television (as far as America is concerned). Postman was a strong critic of television (in the 1980s) as a medium that polluted society. Using McLuhan's spectrum of media from "cold" to "hot" (low to high levels of sensory stimulation and high to low mental exertion required), he asserted that our society was becoming difficult due to the technological nature of television. think. Television combined the instantaneous fluidity of the telegraph with the descriptive nature of pictures to create an irresistible zone of immersion that required little abstract thought or logic. Therefore, Postman declared that the era of rationality and serious spirit are gone forever, and human society has entered the era of entertainment, which poses a threat to the survival of society.

If Postman were alive today, he would be smiling wryly. The current situation is far worse and more complicated than what he predicted. I will elaborate on it one by one:

information overload

Currently, the amount of information and data generated by all humans in one day exceeds the sum of all information generated before the mid-20th century (the Information Age). Even if a person consumes information throughout his life, he will not be able to consume the amount of information produced in one day before his death. Information is devouring people and society every moment.

How does this overload occur? In the past, information was often localized. Language barriers made it difficult to produce "authoritative" information that was widely disseminated, and production required a lot of time and effort. Information cannot travel across language barriers unless there is a translator. Most mainstream cultural products, such as books, music, and movies, go through a long process from production to distribution.

Things are completely different now. With the internet, people can see information in any language, anywhere (with censorship, of course, but also with VPNs). Translation tools remove language barriers. People don’t have to write a book or make a movie to spread an idea, just send a Tweet/TikTok. Search engines and algorithms take over the work of marketing and distribution. The amount of work required to produce the same amount of content has been reduced to 1% compared to previous decades.

This excess of information causes people to always be in a state of half-heartedness, making them unable to concentrate and reducing their ability to understand. This state of distraction can exacerbate mental health issues, as persistent "FOMO" can lead to feelings of anxiety and depression. At the same time, the proliferation of information of varying quality makes it harder for people to identify accurate and useful information. This confusion can lead to erroneous decisions and beliefs, create information silos, reinforce existing opinions, and deepen social divisions. This in turn is fueling social and political polarization and reviving "Cancel Culture" across the globe.

Postman uses a concept called the "information-to-action ratio" to define the amount of information consumed versus the amount of action taken in a specific media context. He believed that, in the case of television, the amount of information available to a person was far greater than the amount of information he could meaningfully process or act on. The same now applies to the Internet, which has led to a situation where people are inundated with information and increasingly unable to take any meaningful action based on it.

information concentration

Information centralization has a dual nature.

On the one hand, big tech companies now have a monopoly on the grassroots level of information. Google’s search engine occupies 90% of the market share; Meta’s social media accounts for 75% of the total market share; Amazon dominates e-books and online shopping in the United States; the Big Seven dominates the American news industry ( in other countries, state-controlled media countries in which the situation is worse ). The same trend can be found in music, art, film and television, the list goes on and on.

Large technology companies have taken advantage of network effects. With their significant first-mover advantages, they have obtained a large amount of user data very early and used this data to improve services and lock in users. In addition, their economic strength allows them to adopt strategies, acquire potential competitors, and position themselves in ways that smaller companies cannot match. This is evident in Meta's strategy of acquiring potential competitors before they become real threats. This has resulted in a handful of tech giants dominating digital infrastructure sectors ranging from search engines to social networks to cloud services.

The implications of this platform monopoly/oligopoly are far-reaching. It weakens competition and innovation as small companies and start-ups struggle to compete in markets where a few giants have a huge advantage. For consumers, this dominance can lead to less choice and higher prices. Additionally, with access to vast amounts of personal data, these tech companies can use private information for targeted advertising or potentially more horrific purposes. Platform monopolies/oligopolies can also impact public discourse as these companies have the power to censor or promote certain content, putting democracy and free speech at risk.

On the other hand, governments around the world are imposing varying degrees of surveillance and information control on their citizens. This phenomenon is not new; historically those in power have tended to exert control over their subjects. While the world has now made greater progress in democracy than in the past, many powerful countries are currently experiencing a worrying trend of regression.

Governments are using surveillance and control measures to monitor potential threats, suppress dissent and maintain control of speech within their borders. The rise of digital technologies has given governments new tools to monitor the flow of information, including Internet censorship mechanisms and mass surveillance programs. These measures are often justified on the grounds of national security or public order, but can also be used to stifle opposition and control public opinion.

Such controls can have a chilling effect on free speech, as individuals and organizations may self-censor to avoid repercussions. It limits access to information and limits diversity of public opinion, thereby undermining the democratic process. Government surveillance undermines privacy rights and creates an environment of constant surveillance. Not only does this impact individual freedoms, it also stifles innovation and economic freedom, as innovative businesses tend not to like operating in places where the government interferes too much in the economy. In the final analysis, government control and surveillance of information will lead to a lack of vitality in society and become monotonous. In such a society, dissent is suppressed and conformity is enforced (cf. Bolsheviks).

In summary, the centralization of information through platform monopolies/oligopolies and government control poses a significant challenge to the ideals of an open, democratic society.

false information

This issue has been dealt with in previous chapters, but requires special examination. Disinformation is not a new topic. One could even say that it is part of human nature, if one considers that deception is sometimes necessary for one's survival. What makes it particularly troublesome today is that the impact of digital disinformation is a hundred thousand times greater than it was before the information age.

The emergence and convenience of rapid dissemination of false information in the information age have led to the proliferation of false information. Digital technology, especially today’s artificial intelligence, has greatly facilitated the production of false content. With minimal effort, almost anyone can use tools that alter images, videos, and text to create fake information that appears to be genuine. The communication mechanisms of the digital age, especially social media platforms, exacerbate the spread of misinformation by prioritizing engaging content over authenticity. False information is often sensational and inflammatory, making it easier to share and like, which leads to a wider audience and faster spread. Some platforms may unintentionally promote disinformation through their algorithms or for profit purposes, as participation results in advertising revenue. This combinationality amplifies the impact of disinformation far beyond what was possible in the pre-digital era.

Disinformation creates confusion, bad decisions, and erodes trust in authoritative sources of information. The constant flow of conflicting information can lead to cognitive overload, making it difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood. As mentioned earlier, information bureaus exacerbate opinions and further deepen social divisions.

Disinformation can have worrying consequences across society, leading to misjudgments and unnecessary deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic . Disinformation about candidates, voting processes and election results can undermine democratic elections. It can also foment hatred, distrust and intolerance between community groups, leading to social violence and unrest.

While disinformation is not a new phenomenon, its amplification in the digital age poses unprecedented challenges, threatening personal well-being and social stability.

information slavery

Most of the symptoms of “information slavery” were also covered in the previous section. However, this urgent problem is often ignored by the public.

What I mean by "information slavery" is that the operating system that supports today's information age is obviously exploitative, and users are like "slaves" online. The world has experienced a transition from monarchy to universal democracy for thousands of years, and the nascent digital world is still far from democracy. If I were to use an analogy from a historical period, I would compare the current Internet to the colonial period.

Like old colonialism, users unknowingly succumb to the interests of tech giants and governments. The Internet's original promise as a space for emancipatory democracy has been undermined by the encroachment of these powerful entities. Driven by profit, technology companies have designed a system in which users' daily activities, from social media interactions to online searches, will generate monetizable personal data. Every time humans use any electronic device, they generate so-called metadata. While much of it is junk data, some can be mined and used by companies and institutions, often without explicit permission and notification. This data is often provided free of charge by users without clear knowledge of its value. The way this system operates is also the cornerstone of modern digital capitalism (or techno-feudalism).

Furthermore, through sophisticated tracking mechanisms, personalized advertising, and commodification, netizens (most of humanity) are exerted a form of control reminiscent of colonial rule. Users become "free labor", creating wealth for technology giants through creation and interaction, but do not receive fair compensation or recognition. Government surveillance measures collaborate with or use private technology infrastructure to monitor and influence citizen behavior, reinforcing the dynamic balance of control and interest and further exacerbating this exploitation.

The colonial analogy is appropriate not only in terms of extraction and exploitation, but also in terms of the dependence and lack of autonomy imposed on users. Just as colonial subjects were often unable to escape the economic and political structures imposed on them, modern internet users find themselves in a similar bind - dependent on platforms and services that exploit their data and invade their privacy. This digital colonization is a major impediment in the search for a truly democratic and equitable digital future.

All in all, the current media environment is a mess.

Declaration of action

The contemporary media paradigm exhibits the characteristics of “pseudo-democratization”, which hides its hypocritical essence behind the appearance of decentralization and democratization. Major newspapers use the “double-sided argument” template to hide their preconceptions, and Disney uses DEI policies to hide their bias . Mainstream social media decentralizes content production and consumption, thereby plundering the value created by users and exerting power. A thief in the dark is often more dangerous than a robber in the open.

To lift the veil of hypocrisy, save democracy on the verge of collapse, and lead people out of the "cave" , a new force is needed - decentralized media now!

Decentralized media neither steals nor robs - it makes money on its own merits. Built on the principles of transparency, fairness and community governance, it ensures that control and benefits of media production and consumption are distributed equitably among all participants. The road ahead is long and difficult, but we should not give up because of this. Let us be advocates for true decentralization, for media to serve the many rather than the few, and for us to use our collective voice to emerge from the shadow of manipulation and free the narrative.

There are already many decentralists preaching in this barren land. Although the road ahead is steep and navigating network effects is difficult, all the effort and progress will be worth it (I will explore these existing projects in upcoming blogs).

It's time to take action. If we don’t want to live in a future like 1984 or Brave New World, we must fight for our freedom!

thanks for reading.

(Welcome to subscribe to the editor's Substack channel: https://substack.com/profile/132152753-kelsen-liu?utm_source=profile-page )