When the Web 1.0 started or as we call it: the internet, we saw many possibilities. It was created so we could share information, connect with other people and expand our knowledge. With the passing of the years we've developed more and more this technology expanding it to new tools we adapt to our everyday life and tasks. Eventually we shifted into making parts of the internet our property and we started capitalizing it. With this came a sense of ownership and we started seeing it as a product. But when you stop to think about it the actual product is us, the consumers. We spend so many hours navigating the internet and making profit for the companies using our data for capital. Platforms are already made systems that we adapt to our lives and use, but what if we start changing to protocols. Protocols which can help guide our actions in the web and contribute to collaboration.
"Sharing is Copying"
There is a delicate matter to discuss around computers and automation. Computers can never be held accountable. Humans are. So where should we divide the limits of human-machine collaboration? How are we using this machines for our benefit? As technology moves forward so does the intelligence of our machines, meaning they can do tasks that before were only thought to be done by humans. But then it becomes easy for humans to avoid responsibility in some cases which can be dangerous. Here is where regulations come in. But the thing is we have absoloutely no idea what's the best way to regulate them. Some people have very interesting proposals but people in power seem to be the only ones able to decide. There are many initiatives to change this and bring decision power back to the people. People are mving from a centralized to a decentralized or distributed network.
Another important thing coming into question is the environmental impact of this technology. The web runs through energy which is at the moment not using renewable sources. There are plans to change this but it takes a lot of effort and investment. Joana Moll has an interesting view about this in her project, you can check it out in here. The more we try to advocate for new ways of using this technology which are more inclusive, accesible and collaborative, the more chances we have to creating the platforms we actually want.
Lorenzo Patuzzo came to talk with us and discuss this subjects further. He talked to us about his experience with changing systems and collaborating with others to create something that resonates more with them. He was part of Calafou which is a center for social and technological innovation in the outskirts of Barcelona. This group of people were looking for alternative solutions to actual problems through sustainability, technology and innovation by promoting community engagement. He was working with a group of people that were developing a decentralized mining network and software development platform called Ethereum. Cryptocurrencies and blockchain have developed as the new Web 3.0. They have been a way of taking back governance and decentralize organizations. As of now they still have some issues with energy consumption and escalability. Blockchain requires a lot of energy because it works with proof of work, meaning every transaction needs to be checked by a computer. These methods are being improved and changed to proof of stake which uses less electricity. He is a founding member of the Akasha Barcelona Hub which is giving people the tools to power up participatory actions for decision makinig in decentralized networks, promoting project development, hosting meetups and workshops and engaging the community around.
