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Comment by aidanxyz | Hacker News Reader

One thing to keep in mind though, is that the Internet is not always a good thing that it probably could be.

With all the entertainment, media, ads and greedy people caring only about money and not people the Internet sometimes causes more damage than it brings true benefits to users.

Yes, it's up to us what we choose to consume, but maybe if the Internet only consisted of resources and technologies that foster the intellectual and spiritual growth the humanity and especially the developing countries would benefit more from it.

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If the Internet only consisted of such resources, it would remain a geek's toy and ignored by the vast majority of the population, who would simply continue to watch TV. I'm far from a fan of Steve Jobs, but this quote from an interview is spot-on:

“When you’re young, you look at television and think, There’s a conspiracy. The networks have conspired to dumb us down. But when you get a little older, you realize that’s not true. The networks are in business to give people exactly what they want. That’s a far more depressing thought. Conspiracy is optimistic! You can shoot the bastards! We can have a revolution! But the networks are really in business to give people what they want. It’s the truth.”

And the same happens with the Web. Though, I'm not saying a different society is impossible, but you'd need to change the people before changing the internet.

Thanks for the quote, it really explains your point. I agree with that, although that's not always true for news :)

Well, yes, it's surely not a one step easy process, but I think it worth a try. Especially in places where the Internet isn't provided yet.

For example, in terms of the "Internet to all" initiative by Mark or whoever, while working to make the Internet freely accessible they could prioritize resources and start with, Wikipedia, StackExchange Q&A, language translators, simple messengers, communities maybe.

The useful content most of the time is boring, it's true, but it definitely can be improved, take a look at KhanAcademy, for instance.

But when you get a little older, you realize that’s not true. The networks are in business to give people exactly what they want. That’s a far more depressing thought.

Just like how tobacco companies have never psychologically manipulated people to start smoking, right? They're just giving them what they want!

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