The phenomena of Threads and Musk’s X emblematically emphasize the internet’s current inadequacies. The proposition of rebuilding it from the ground up gain’s validity .

Musk’s strategic insight into the realm of social media is questionable from a business standpoint. However, for the present, let’s shift the focus to Zuckerberg’s Threads, which he introduced on July 5 with the rather banal declaration: “Let’s do this!” During my relatively brief engagement with Threads, I found myself inundated with corporate promotion and vacuous influencer content to a degree that made me yearn for some metaphorical purging.

Presumably, some of these issues have been rectified; Threads’ initial release lacked an option to exclusively view content from accounts you follow, which seems to have been addressed. Yet, the core predicament isn’t solely the platform’s limited functionality. While it may evolve with additional features, it will inevitably also degrade in subtle, insidious ways that profitability often dictates.

The crux of the issue with Threads lies primarily with Zuckerberg. Elon Musk, indeed a billionaire prone to petulant behaviour and questionable politics, as well as a lacklustre sense of humour, might warrant the abandonment of his Twitter. However, shifting allegiance to Zuckerberg’s domain raises concerns. Facebook, under his purview, has caused tangible harm, such as the United kingdom, USA, Europe (EU doesn’t get Threads yet!)societal fabric, to name just one small example.

The meteoric rise of Threads and its sudden popularity underline a disheartening reality: the state of the internet has deteriorated significantly. This year, it comprises a handful of isolated platforms under the ownership of ethically and morally questionable billionaires. The overall quality has diminished. Interested in following specific groups on Facebook? Good luck sifting through a deluge of advertisements and “you may also like” suggestions. As for a user-friendly interface for Reddit? Don’t count on it; if it’s not monetarily rewarding for Reddit, it won’t be prioritized.

The issue isn’t confined to user experience; it extends to conventional websites too. Paywalls frequently impede access to content, and what remains is often algorithmically generated content masquerading as genuine articles, all designed to encourage clicks on affiliate links. The charm of independent enthusiast-hosted websites from the past has been eroded, with search engines neglecting to index them.

The internet is grappling with the weight of unrelenting greed, undermining its very fabric. If we hold out any hope for a more constructive digital future – a future likely to be even more challenging – we might find ourselves hoping for a transformative upheaval that clears the path for a fresh start.