The inventor of the internet as we know it knows he created a monster… but he hasn’t given up hope. Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the mind behind the World Wide Web, is raising concerns about the state of his creation. Despite 35 years of progress, three main issues are why the internet is riddled with problems.

#1- Too many big fish in one small pond: Tech giants have monopolized our online experience, which Berners-Lee believes is stifling innovation and hindering healthy competition. This goes against the very purpose of the internet’s creation, says the innovator, which was built on “the intention to allow for collaboration, foster compassion, and generate creativity.”

The first decade of the internet did just that. Alongside the unending variety of content, the web was a hub of smaller contained communities that promoted huge value, and, Berners-Lee believes, provided individual empowerment. Within the past decade, the internet has eroded those features at the behest of large corporations’ self-interest. A homogenized online environment now prioritizes corporate revenues over user needs.

#2- The internet is now a B2B model: As personal data has become the most valuable form of currency these days, the collection and exploitation of our information are continually raising privacy concerns. The saturation of targeted ads is both a symptom and a root cause, as companies strive to manipulate user behavior, compromising online autonomy.

#3- Then there’s AI: Berners-Lee is worried that the emergence of AI will only exacerbate these existing problems, adding to the proliferation of misinformation and manipulation of online discourse. The father of the World Wide Web believes that these trends show that the issues at the forefront of our online experience are “deeply intertwined” with emerging technologies.

But there’s still hope. “It would be defeatist and unimaginative to assume that the web as we know it can’t be changed for the better,” says the techno-idealist. But not on its own. The power concentration and exploitative business models that plague the internet need to be addressed, he believes, which he is actively working to do through the World Wide Web Foundation.

Is it possible? Maybe. Social networks like Bluesky and Mastodon don’t rely on advertising and business engagement to run. It’s easier said than done, but Berners-Lee believes that morally courageous leadership is emerging and that someday, the online world will be dictated by the needs of humanity instead of financial gain.

Tags: