The volatility of the internet

Why it could break at any time

In the previous article I mentioned reasons for downloading all of your files from the internet. The main reason for this is the fragile structure that holds it all together. The "Services" that are provided on the internet could shut down or be sabotaged this very moment and all of your precious information (if you don't take precautions) will be gone forever.

The reason for this volatility is simple: the internet depends on too many things. I shall illustrate by example of a YouTube channel how weak and dependent it is. In order for you to be a "YouTuber" you have to have a computer and some equipment (camera, microphone, etc.). You are dependent on the fact that your computer and equipment have to function. The computer is dependent on its operating system (which could have issues like viruses or faulty updates). The computer and equipment are also dependent on your electricity supplier.

Now let us move on to some internet dependencies. Your computer is dependent on your Internet Service Provider for an internet connection, which is dependent on a long wire (where one break could mean no internet). You are also dependent on your Domain Name Servers (most people don't know how to change DNS settings even if other ones are available). And, finally, you're dependent on the YouTube website.

Is it really worth it to be dependent on so many things? If one of the parts of the dependency chain breaks, you will not be able to upload to your YouTube channel.

Another possible issue is the one of censorship. Even if everything works perfectly, there is still the possibility of getting banned off platforms. If you say anything contrary to the opinion that is pushed by Big Media, you can get banned and all your work will be lost. This is the unfortunate truth of the internet today. Everything is controlled by tech giants who are the law in the sense that they control what people are able to say.

The digital technology companies may claim that banning people is for the benefit and security of the general population, but this is far from the truth. We can judge this from the fact that most of them still allow pornography (or softcore pornography) and other harmful media which is way worse for everyone than the people they ban. Another harmful element which they allow is agit prop (agitation propaganda). This is the propagation of news or media to purposefully anger people. And when everyone is angry, they are easier to manipulate.

If you do use the internet, your best bet is to stay away from social media. You may not realise it, but your opinion is being shaped by all the opinions you see there. One tends to follow the opinions of the majority of the population. This is called group think or herd mentality. As mentioned in the previous article, you should print or, at the very least, download your files from the internet. You should be trying to cut out as many dependencies as you can.

Okay, so we mentioned the example of a YouTuber with so many dependencies. Now, let us look at a more traditional example of someone with a platform and see how many dependencies they require. A man who speaks in public. He is dependent on transportation to get to the place where he will speak, and he is dependent on his voice. If his transportation fails, he can get an alternative relatively easily, or, in the worst case scenario, he can walk. If is voice fails, it will be difficult, but one option is to get someone to speak for him. See, he is only dependent on two things. This is a much more secure job than being a YouTuber or any other online job.

Online jobs are dependent on the infrastructure of so many different organisations, while traditional jobs are mostly dependent on the person themselves. I much prefer traditional jobs as opposed to modern ones, but, unfortunately, the trajectory seems like an increasing amount of jobs are going to be online. I can only hope that the future embraces more traditional times. I hate modernity sometimes.