Techdirt The Eternal September
Sep 2, 2025
Join Alix Dunn, host of the Computer Says Maybe podcast and a decentralization enthusiast, as she dives into rich discussions about the evolution of the internet. They explore decentralization's impact, the nostalgia for a more open web, and the arrival of innovative platforms like Bluesky. The conversation also addresses ethical advertising strategies and the need for user-friendly digital migration tools, all while emphasizing the importance of empowering users in a rapidly commercialized digital landscape.
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Early Internet Roots
- Mike Masnick describes first joining the pre-web internet in the early 1990s and feeling its empowering decentralization.
- He recounts rediscovering that decentralization around 2010 and spending years advocating to return power to end users.
Eternal September Explains Openness
- Masnick explains the 'Eternal September' where AOL opened Usenet to massive new users and etiquette rules were overwhelmed.
- He argues the messy openness ultimately won by enabling experimentation and broader innovation.
Hide Decentralization From Users
- Build decentralized systems whose decentralization benefits users without requiring ideological buy-in.
- Make the protocol invisible to ordinary users while preserving exit options and competitive incentives.