There's been a lot of discussion going on in certain circles, about what we can do, as users of the Internet and social media, to make this virtual world a better place. People on Facebook and Twitter are getting fed up with giving all their personal information to completely faceless and unaccountable social media networks, who then use that information to target us with advertising and political propaganda - or else hand it over to governments who then use it to crack down on protest and dissent within the population.
People are asking - what can we do to build a better virtual world? Where can we find a better social network where we are able to share information and connect with people in other places, without being subject to all those unwanted side effects and intrusions? In such discussions, I usually point people in the direction of Steemit.
When asked to explain what Steemit is and how it works, I often give the analogy of the American West in the pioneering days of the early settlers. Of course, it's not a perfect analogy. For a start, we're not going to go around killing Indians and taking their land, like the settlers in the new world did, because the virtual world is, for all practical purposes, infinite in size. Also, it actually is new, so that issue doesn't really exists here. It is also virtual and not physical, so there's no need to be buying and selling slaves to do the hard, physical work either. The closest thing we are likely to see here, in this new virtual world, are the bots which some people create and employ to do the heavy data collection and other jobs which would be too time consuming and too tedious for mortal humans.
Aside from those obvious differences, there are a lot of similarities between what is going on here on Steemit and the pioneering days of the American West. First you had the gold rush... When the news got out that there was gold in those hills, uncharted and unclaimed, people left their homes and made the arduous and dangerous journey westwards - from poverty and famine stricken Ireland, from religious persecution in Europe, from the overcrowded slums of New York - some were desperate, some looking for adventure and fortune, some looking to escape, some looking to create a better world where they could be free... they made the journey in wagons, on horseback or on foot. There were no roads, no railroad yet.
They were looking for a better life. They were looking for a better world. When they got there (if they survived the journey - many did not) they discovered that if they wanted a better world, they'd have to make it themselves.
It's no surprise that this new virtual world of ours is so highly populated by gamblers, speculators and gold-diggers of every description. These are early days yet.
Hot on the trail of the gold diggers came the highwaymen, the money lenders, the snake-oil sellers, the con-men, the prostitutes, the preachers... And along with them, the builders, the ranchers and farmers, the teachers, the shop-keepers.. and before too long, there came the railroad and the telegraph lines. The rest, of course is history.
If I want to go to California now, all I have to do is buy a plane ticket on the internet. I can be there in almost no time, with almost no danger from the journey - when compared to how it used to be. Such a journey in the past might have taken years, with no guarantee of getting there and little chance of ever returning. I could be sitting in an air conditioned Starbucks, drinking cafe latte by this time tomorrow without even breaking a sweat.
The main objection I find, from people coming to Steemit from places like Facebook and Twitter (apart from it being populated by gamblers and speculators) is that it simply doesn't work well enough. It doesn't have the slick appearance and ease of use as Facebook. It lacks many of the key features and the speed to which we've become accustomed. I explain that this is mostly because Steemit is new and as it grows to accommodate more users, it will inevitably improve. It is also because Steemit doesn't have multi-million dollar advertising revenues to invest in developing and upgrading its social media platform.
If we want to make this new virtual world a better place, this time, we'll have to do it ourselves.
It came to me as a sort of revelation - how this can happen and what we can do. So here it is...
Everyone needs to do what it is that they do.
It might sound obvious - that's because it is - but you'd be surprised at how many people are sitting around waiting for a change to happen and complaining that it isn't happening quick enough, if at all. All it needs is for more people to join and for everyone to do their thing - whatever that is. If you are a writer, then write. If you are a musician, artist, poet, share your music, art, poetry. If you have a special skill or interest tell us about it. If you have good ideas - if you have the solution to the world's conflicts or environmental problems tell us what they are. We can talk about it. If you make compilation videos of cute cats or people falling over, share those as well. Maybe it will cheer people up. If you are a computer programmer and you can make improvements to the platform, do that. If you have money to invest, then do that...
Networks will grow. It takes time.
The main thing, when it comes to building a better world, be it virtual or physical, is to have a vision. As pioneers in a new world, we should expect a bit of discomfort, a bit of inconvenience. These are early days yet, as I've said, but the rewards may be beyond anything we've dreamed possible until now - especially for the first intrepid diggers and dreamers.
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This post is included in ecoTrain, which is a very good example of something positive that people can do to improve the virtual world and build Steemit. Click on the link below and go and have a look around. It's much easier and quicker than crossing North America on a wagon train...
