In the age of data harvesting and Big Tech monopolies, what will the Internet look like in a decade? In today’s episode, Robert J. Marks speaks with computer engineer Adam Goad about “Web 3.0,” decentralization, cryptocurrency, and the future of the blockchain. Additional Resources
When new technology is introduced, there is often a buildup of incredible hype. But eventually, people are going to recognize the limitations of the new technology and it can become irrelevant. Where are NFTs on this “hype curve” and will they continue to exist? Adam Goad, Dr. Austin Egbert, and Dr. Robert J. Marks discuss non-fungible tokens, the economy, and Read More ›
Last week, I wrote about the buzz around internet decentralization, especially as there appears to be talk at Twitter of moving in such a direction. The buzz continues, this time with vocal support from former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, coinciding with a bold financial move from Elon Musk. On April 2, Dorsey reminisced on Twitter about the early, decentralized days of the Internet, and said that centralization “really damaged the internet. I realize I’m partially to blame, and regret it.” The problems of social media platforms have been made clear in the past few years, specifically when it comes to data privacy and how to handle (or even define) harmful content while also respecting free speech. But there isn’t as much Read More ›
Twitter is considering decentralization according to a recent report from The New York Times. But what does decentralization mean, and how would it impact our experience with social media? Is this a solution to all the problems around censorship standards that Big Tech companies have faced in recent years? According to The New York Times, Twitter is following the early vision of a former employee named Blaine Cook by “funding an independent effort to build a so-called open protocol for social media. It is also weaving cryptocurrency into its app, and opening up to developers who want to build custom features for Twitter.” Kate Conger reports: Some skeptics believe Twitter is jumping on the web3 bandwagon, joining a trendy movement in tech to shift many Read More ›
Robert J. Marks and Will Fullerton discuss what changes await as we enter the implementation phase of a foundational technology: blockchain. While China is making a multi-billion dollar investment, IBM is betting on countless blockchain projects. And by promising to disintermediate financial institutions, blockchain holds the promise of radically reducing obstacles and overhead from human transactions. Still, challenges remain to Read More ›