#2: The Need of a New Internet

In the last essay, we discussed how the gaps between internet protocols and their actual usage led private companies to fill these gaps, resulting in the centralization of the internet.

This extreme centralization has created several pressing needs for a new internet, which can be described as follows:

1) Quality of Information Needs

The primary purpose of the internet is to provide information services. However, much of the internet has been used for misinformation rather than reliable information. This issue is exacerbated as more of the internet becomes populated with AI-generated content, which is often fake and repetitive.

The internet has historically relied on the foundational work of content creators. There was an implicit agreement that content creators would produce high-quality content, and in return, the major internet companies would drive traffic to them. However, this agreement has now been fundamentally broken. AI companies like OpenAI and Gemini now scrape content from the internet and provide summaries directly to readers, without driving any traffic or providing monetary compensation to the original creators.

High-quality content creators, who generate new ideas, books, music, and other forms of content that AI cannot replicate, need an internet that ensures proper attribution and fair compensation for their work. An internet that grants these creators property rights over their intellectual property will result in far superior content quality compared to one that does not.

2) Psychological Needs

The current internet operates on protocols designed for information and media transfer, and its primary business model has become ad-based. This model requires capturing users' attention through free and addictive content, and then interrupting that attention with ads to drive product purchases.

This approach has generated immense wealth for major internet companies but has also been detrimental to global mental health. The need to capture attention leads to content that targets our primal instincts, often provoking fear, anger, or outrage.

As a result, people are increasingly prioritizing conscious content consumption from paid, high-quality sources like email newsletters, which allow them to reclaim their attention. However, at present, this premium content is available only through individual companies and their proprietary apps (e.g., Substack, Netflix).

As the demand for paid, high-quality content continues to grow, we will need an internet with built-in mechanisms for paygated content and payments, accessible on any app a user chooses.

3) Social Needs

Every society is based on a set of values that are highly specific to its context. These values are often reflected in the discourse that is permitted within that society.

Online, this discourse is manifested through the moderation and recommendation policies of the internet. Currently, all such policy decisions are made in Silicon Valley, which does not reflect the values of the USA, let alone the entire world.

This situation creates the need for an internet where societies can self-determine their own internet policies, rather than having them dictated by unelected and unaccountable executives in Silicon Valley.

4) Geopolitical Needs

The information that is allowed and promoted on the internet can have far-reaching consequences, from influencing elections to inciting local riots, and even shaping military and geopolitical alliances.

Given this extensive influence, different states and countries are increasingly seeking independence in their internet policies, wishing to align these policies with their own laws rather than those of Silicon Valley.

5) Generational Needs

The companies that dominate the current internet were primarily built by the Millennial Generation, who are now well into their late 30s and 40s. Today's biggest startups and companies continue to be led by this same generation, often by the same individuals, such as Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and Mark Zuckerberg. This has left little room for new companies to be formed by Gen Z, which is now reaching its prime working age.

Moreover, large internet companies have reduced their hiring rates, increasingly favoring senior employees and effectively locking Gen Z out of the wealth-creating opportunities that Millennials enjoyed during the early internet era. This challenge is not limited to employment but also extends to content creation on major platforms. The largest followings on social media have been built by creators who have been active for 20 years, leaving little room for newcomers to build their own follower bases.

A new generation needs a new internet—one that reflects their values and provides them with the same wealth-creating opportunities that previous generations enjoyed.

As we can see, various factions of our world are dissatisfied with the current state of the internet and require a new internet that addresses these needs. In the next essay, we will explore the design of this new internet and how it can fulfill these needs.