We've had a information technology industry for about 50 years now. During that time "hackers" have invented the next generation of technology. The fact that Steve Jobs & Steve Wozniak created Apple after first creating illegal phone calling blue boxes, was a footnote in history. The fact that Facebook's main HQ is situated on "Hacker Way" is another footnote.
The truth is that the IT sector was created as a reaction of nerds against what they felt were betrayed, victimized and disenfranchised.
The same is true of Bitcoin & the blockchain industry. The "Ron Paul" evangelists who felt their economic future had been sold down the road by federal banks and governments, created an almighty "fark you" by creating Bitcoin. Its adoption and progression was spurred by activism that was spectated on by governments, until someone said "Enough" and it stopped disrupting.
The problem with activism that tries to right a wrong or change direction is that the activist is in control. They determine fate. They determine where the herd will go. Most of the time, this is against the will of power, money & governments. But the inertia is something that the smart & powerful respect and recognize. They feel that if it goes down a path that is in their interest, they will sit on the bench and watch it. When it hits critical mass, or lands on the square that they own, then they regulate to stop it from leaving their backyard.
Such is the case with Apple right now and regulation.
The incredible power that the Internet has brought us in terms of transparency, freedom of expression, freedom to create digital content anywhere in the world, etc. has become weaponized. Not by the evil extremists, but by the very mega corporations that want total control of it. Silicon Valley, and the Fortune 100 corporations that reside there.
This year, Europe passed sweeping laws to attempt to protect the right of privacy for the individual on the Internet. The intention here was great and it meant that finally you could demand to be removed from Google searches and that your data was owned by you and you had the right to request it, control it, and tell the mega corporations that had benefited from selling you to every advertiser that enough is enough.
When entire corporations business models are on your data value and how they can monetize it, it is not surprising. But the reality is that we willing participants have opted into this by using Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, etc. for free for years. We gave up our privacy rather than giving up a monthly subscription fee to use these services. And this meant that these relatively low cost to create hosted software and database companies were able to forgo your money for the money of the advertisers. You don't pay for a Google search. You don't pay to "Like" something on Facebook, and you don't pay to Tweet. At least not directly with cash. You pay with your privacy.
So here's where it gets really weird. Today I heard the latest headlines in the tech news...
Tim Cook proclaims Tech Industry regulation is inevitable
I was always curious why the head of one of the largest tech companies had spent an enormous amount of time & money out there "informing us" of this news. I mean why would he do that? What's in it for him? It isn't that he doesn't have enough to do, right? Sure, Apple's stock price is down a bit and their forecasted sales right now for Q4 2018 are down a bit. But why would the CEO of one of the largest corporations in US history be out there basically promoting regulation?
We have been played for a very long time. Remember the old Who song, "Won't be fooled again?"
Tim Cook and the walled garden of Apple are playing us all for fools. He is basically prodding the US congress to enact regulations against his competitors. With a looming democrat majority in the House of Representatives, Cook believes that he can get on every main stream media outlet and tell the world that regulations on the Internet are inevitable and that we should prepare for it. Why? Simple - Apple sells hardware using the 20th century business model of making profit on devices. The barrier to entry in that market is very high - much higher than a software company or a cloud computing provider. So if your competitors are Amazon, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, etc. you can send a crippling blow to them by lobbying congress to enact regulations "for the people". I mean protect individual privacy, etc. Who wouldn't want that? Some 60 yr old congressman or congresswoman is not going to argue against that because it gets them elected or re-elected.
But it is not in our interest. The choice that we have as a society to opt in and sell our privacy may be a bad choice. But it is still OUR CHOICE. Not a government. Sure, we might have been played but we chose to be played. We can also choose to not be played. But to have that choice taken from us is not only immoral and unethical, but it treats us like the same customer of Apple.
Apple - a company that for decades has taken a "you don't need to be smart to use our technology - we'll protect you and take all the sharp edges away so you don't hurt yourself". That's great for grandma's computing, but talk to a software engineer who is constantly frustrated at what they are NOT allowed to do on Apple platforms. That they cannot innovate because Apple says No. They can't release an app for an iPhone unless Apple say it is ok.
Look, we have created an amazing industry because of hackers. Hackers that created Apple. Hackers that created the disruption needed for the world to advance at the level it has for the past 50 years. But to now jail the same hackers, is a slap in the face to advancement.
Apple win because they now get the US government to force their own business model on their competitors, thereby creating dominance. If you can't invent better technology, then just kill your competitors off. By default you will be the vendor that your customers get up at 4AM and wait in line for 8 hours to buy the next piece of crap technology you produce - the one that is no real difference to last year's model. And still the technology that no one can reverse engineer or hack or make work better or different to your vision.
Meanwhile, some new startup decides they have invented some great new tech (think Steem here) and all of a sudden they want to buy some server hosting and release it. The privacy regulations then kick in.
Nerds are smart. But they are normally victims to bullies. This means that fear runs rampant. Sure, there are those outspoken ones that tell the world to bring it on. But they are rare. The DNA of a nerd is a quiet, soft spoken, hide in the parent's basement, etc. This is the very same creators of Apple, Microsoft, Tesla, etc. They were empowered and protected by lawyers but for the most part they are passive.
Look at what happened in the ICO space in 2018. Most got killed off. Nerds got scared that the big SEC or government would throw them in jail if they attempted to fund their new idea without going through the Goldman Sach's controlled money machine. So they stopped. The projects already in progress continued, but new ones didn't emerge to take advantage of blockchain at the level you would expect.
This is how it works. You scare away your competitors and you enjoy the riches. Apple are doing this. They are trying to play congress to enact privacy laws that benefit the Apple walled garden, kill off their competition, and stifle future threats. This means you. Your new idea. And your monthly budget will be hit by inflation.
Because those free services you have been enjoying for decades won't be free anymore. They can't monetize on your data, so they have to find another way. Monthly subscription fees, probably. Facebook have already threatened this. YouTube do it, but offering their paid service levels that remove the ads. Spotify does it as well. Soon everything will come with some $10 or $20 a month fee to use it. And we'll just call this "inflation".
This is the end game of the free service. Often a service that we have funded with some Kickstarter project, but now is turned against us. Hope you have room on your credit card for the future monthly subscription fees you will be paying. You think that cable fees are high? Just wait.
Meanwhile we have this wonderful platform that we have created - Steem based services and dApps. They are free, right? They don't cost anything....
Yes, but here's the deal... Unless we have content that rivals YouTube, Facebook, Spotify, etc. we are nothing. We don't matter. We only matter when grandma can come to Steemit and read something of value vs. paying a monthly fee to the New York Times or Washington Post to read it there. Or that a dTube video has actual content that rivals the YouTube equivalent. If that happens, then yep - we have offered a viable alternative to the subscription model services and we win.
But we are failing in doing this. We are failing in such an epic way that I can't believe it.
The mantra that posting quantity over quality is stupid. But it is the underlying DNA of Steem. The more posts, the more upvotes, the more you "mine the blockchain" and the more Steem you generate. This sends a clear message to a content creator that it doesn't matter if your content is crap - just post it. The more you post and the higher the frequency, the more likely a whale will spot you and upvote you. Then you can enjoy the $100+ per post world of free money and you can give up your job and live like the rich & famous.
It doesn't work. Longevity is about creating something of quality - something that 5 years from now, is still relevant and is still being searched out. An immutable blockchain is perfect for that - you can't get rid of what you post on it. Yet we choose to post crap? Just for a measly amount of upvotes?
This is our chance to shine. This is our time to be the true activists and take back the Internet. But it isn't going to happen because you sell out your short term future for some crap upvotes. It comes down simply to creating such high quality content that you draw away the inertia from YouTube and over to dTube. Or you draw away the attention from Soundcloud and over to dSound. Or from Facebook or Reddit and over to Steemit.
We can seize this opportunity that Apple are playing right now. That means you invest in quality gear to create quality content. You learn how media production is done. You plan out your content - not some stupid daily dTube vlog with your cheap ass phone. Something that rivals Casey Neistat. Something that takes advantage of the low cost of entry, but respects it with the high quality of content - both in terms of storyline but also in production.
Don't try and post everyday. Unless you think you really have something to say. Something that will be valued in 5 years time. Not your opinion piece on the price of Bitcoin today. Sorry, but no one gives a crap. What will they want to read about 3 years from now, and what you do feel represents your best work? And how do you make the next one after that better?
No One Cares About Your Fucking DTube Videos
Yes, he is abrasive. But look beyond the butthurt feelings that this video might present to the core message. It needs to be said (although this isn't my specific style for saying it) and it needs to be heard.
Quality matters, people. Not quantity. Especially in a world where the corporations are playing us to seize monopolistic control over our Internet. Remember, we make the difference here. Don't sell yourself short and don't sell out for a quick buck because the platforms that we have right now are under threat.
We can present an alternative that matters - an alternative that isn't subject to regulations or censorship.
