This is a Movement

This is a movement, in real-time, years in the making. Your accounts online have value. Your communities online have exponential value. Decentralization gives control back to the users. All are welcome.

This is a Movement

The Internet is at a tipping point, something you've probably never heard of is coming next.

Ok 2021, We See You πŸ‘€

With several weeks chock-full of tech news, there is a much bigger story happening behind the headlines. Whether deciphering the origins of events that emerged from the depths of Facebook, or witnessing mass user migrations from WhatsApp to Signal, or the fall of Wall Street at the hands of Reddit group WallStreetBets, the dominant takeaway is people have found their value online.

For too long technology giants and figureheads have been hailed as heros beyond reality. Individuals have been lured onto platforms through 'free with ads' offerings at the actual cost of handing over control of their accounts, brands, data, screentime, and communities.

Enter, Decentralization

For most this is the first time seeing the word decentralization, but I assure you development in this space has been happening for years.

Decentralization or decentralisation is the process by which the activities of an organization, particularly those regarding planning and decision making, are distributed or delegated away from a central, authoritative location or group. wikipedia.org/wiki/Decentralization

This technology is both poised and best positioned to seize the opportunities of recent events. As the masses call out for new replacement applications what they should be reaching for is a complete re-construction of the infrastructure. By providing the world platforms built on a decentralized foundation each user becomes empowered once and for all.

Let's Start With The Users...

Today over 50% of the world is on social media AND on average we each have 70-80 usernames and passwords. With every account being owned and controlled by the individual platforms we have manufactured a house of cards.

In 2021 American adults will spend over 4 hours a day online - that is half a work day, and we have less than 690,000 hours to live. Time is our most valuable asset, did you realize that online you are giving this away for free?

A vast majority of the applications we use today are built on the foundation of 'Free + Ads'.

You get free access.

They get your account, your data, your screen time, and your community.

And the worst part? This can all be taken away at any moment.

Where Do We Go From Here?

It starts with self-sovereign digital identities known as Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) where ONLY the user owns the identity data online without intervention from outside parties.

Many teams spanning in size from Microsoft to Tuum Tech are offering this technology free to users today with open source resources for developers.

Microsoft believes everyone has the right to own their digital identity, one that securely and privately stores all personal data. This ID must seamlessly integrate into daily life and give complete control over data access and use. www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/business/identity/own-your-identity

After securing your own identity online you'll want to communicate with others through messenger or social. However, the internet has become siloed - Few control the many.

This centralized control will boil over and expedite a migration to peer-to-peer networks. Here's how they work...

Peer-to-Peer (P2P)

Autonomous P2P networks are free to use.

Fully decentralized, severless, and equipped with end-to-end encryption that is randomly routed through the network. No server to sore your data - all stored locally.

Remember Napster and LimeWire?

Products that will emerge over the coming year using this technology will not store your messages, they simply route messages from one peer to another, and everything is encrypted.

Paired with decentralized storage we are on the verge of a breakthrough in robust messaging systems online.

Decentralize Social

As news continues to break you might find your way to the doorstep of a decentralized social platform, but can they really compete?

They can - and they will.

We all know the behemoth LinkedIn right? This is the legacy system you never wanted, but can't walk away, with members to the tune of 722 million. For a platform that rakes in over $8 billion per year off of your reputaton, network, and data it is ripe for change.

Now for the good news? Change is coming with decentralized products.

Decentralize Everything

This information might be new to you, but projects began exploring this space many years ago and free open software is available for developers today.

The catalyst necessary to spark the migration to an open decentralized internet is happening now, right before our eyes.

If you enjoyed this, follow me on Twitter for real-time short takes: