The Biggest Thing on the Internet Is the Antithesis of the Internet

Sam Smith of the The Progressive Review offers the following thought-provoking characterization of Facebook:

“Facebook is the anti-Internet. It is a gated community designed to protect its residents from the incredible variety of the real Internet. Its guard house is there not to block undesired people, but unwanted information. In the early days, people had to use corporate sites such as AOL to tap into the Internet. Of course, these sites controlled what you could see or visit. Then came the free and open web and a huge increase in the information available to the average viewer. Facebook is an attempt to revive corporate control of the Internet by fooling people into thinking they can get all they want from its links. Of course, one of the prices you pay for this is that a guy named Zuckenberg gets to decide what you see.”

6 thoughts on “The Biggest Thing on the Internet Is the Antithesis of the Internet

    • I would have posted a link if I had taken it from an article. But it was presented as if at the bottom of the daily newsletter that they send out.

      • unfortunately that’s not much help to the readers (myself included) in my network would be interested in reading the full article, unless of course it is an open and subscribable email newsletter

    • A real find, so very happy to have link – http://prorev.com/ – rss feed + email sub info and found the rest. Most — I was beginning to think ALL — of the smart, interesting, eclectic online reviews from the 90s (heirs to Ramparts and IF Stone) have disappeared. I bet Sam Smith started out with mimeographed editions.

      When I get intrigued, I start looking: my readers, mostly on — sigh — Facebook. Even the academics are lazy sods like the students they complain about.

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