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The Internet Is About to Get Much Worse (www.nytimes.com)

submitted 2 years ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/5400607

This is a classic case of tragedy of the commons, where a common resource is harmed by the profit interests of individuals. The traditional example of this is a public field that cattle can graze upon. Without any limits, individual cattle owners have an incentive to overgraze the land, destroying its value to everybody.

We have commons on the internet, too. Despite all of its toxic corners, it is still full of vibrant portions that serve the public good — places like Wikipedia and Reddit forums, where volunteers often share knowledge in good faith and work hard to keep bad actors at bay.

But these commons are now being overgrazed by rapacious tech companies that seek to feed all of the human wisdom, expertise, humor, anecdotes and advice they find in these places into their for-profit A.I. systems.

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[–] [email protected] 43 points 2 years ago (1 children)

The problem is neoliberalism that seeks to turn everything into profit and sees money as the only valuable target in the world.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Yes. The "tragedy of the commons" is a myth.

Without any limits, individual cattle owners have an incentive to overgraze the land, destroying its value to everybody.

This is factually false, because the land will be destroyed and individuals don't benefit, not even in the short term. Commons work great (see open source software), but capitalism and power structures abuse and destroy them for short-term profit.