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To rebuild the internet, solve the simplest problem first
| From | Project Liberty <[email protected]> |
| Subject | To rebuild the internet, solve the simplest problem first |
| Date | April 30, 2024 3:28 PM |
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We explore the evolutionary (not revolutionary) approach to fixing the internet from New_ Public Co-Director Deepti Doshi
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April 30, 2024 // Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up to receive your own copy here. ([link removed] )
To rebuild the internet, solve the simplest problem first
For Deepti Doshi, her most profound insights about how to build healthy, democratic digital spaces came from an unlikely, offline place decades ago: the back of a taxi cab.
Growing up, Doshi ([link removed] ) , who is Co-Director of New_ Public ([link removed] ) , often needed help getting a ride to school because her dad was sick. Her mom would enlist the help of Patrick Mativo, a local taxi driver, to drive the Doshi kids to school.
Doshi looks back on that experience as formative: It showed her what it looks like to have an interconnected community. No matter how different Mativo was from her, she realized that he was there for her family, and her family could be there for his.
Getting a lift from a neighbor with a taxi might not initially seem like an experience that strengthens democracy, but Doshi believes it is, and that it holds clues for how we build better digital spaces, as well.
She’s taken this insight into her work of building a better web. Project Liberty connected with her to understand New_ Public’s unique and sometimes low-tech approach to building the next generation of the web.
// Technical fixes to people problems
Earlier in her career, Doshi built Haiyya ([link removed] ) , a grassroots leadership development organization in Mumbai, India that supported people to run neighborhood, issue-based campaigns.
Her experience in door-to-door organizing and building Haiyya led Doshi to Facebook for seven years, where she built the Global Community Partnerships team focused on supporting Facebook groups.
At Facebook, Doshi learned that you can’t code your way out of problems around cohesion or belonging.
There was tech that enabled these groups to exist, but at their heart, they were propelled by humans. “You can’t take away the human layer of what’s required for a group to feel a great sense of belonging and safety and inclusion,” Doshi said.
//
You can’t code your way out of problems around cohesion or belonging.
//
// Decentralized internet, de-centered people
From new protocols like DSNP ([link removed] ) to new social networks like Mastodon ([link removed] ) and MeWe ([link removed] ) to the cooperatively-owned server May First ([link removed] ) and New_ Public's own vision to “reimagine the internet as a public space,” there’s great momentum in building the next generation of the internet.
But the problem, according to Doshi, is that the decentralized internet ecosystem can fixate too much on solving democracy problems, or power problems, without solving the “people problems” first.
- People problems are the everyday problems that are top-of-mind. People need a ride to school in the morning, or they want to connect with their family and friends, or they’re seeking a sense of purpose in their life.
- The ecosystem around the decentralized web was born out of a desire to solve a loftier problem: shift the balance of power away from tech companies, give users more control over their data, and create a more participatory internet—all admirable objectives. But none of that’s possible without making products people want to use.
// Bolstering the internet we've got
For those committed to building the next generation of the web, Doshi believes there is value in balancing the imaginative, revolutionary, and necessary work of building new spaces on the internet with the practical, evolutionary work of making today’s digital spaces healthier.
- “We need to work with community stewards and organizers who are publicly minded and trying to do the right thing, even if they’re on Facebook, Reddit, and Google Groups,” Doshi said.
- Bluesky and Mastodon could be powerful alternatives to the status quo, but that’s “not where enough of the people are right now,” she said.
As examples, Doshi highlighted two Facebook groups that are driving real impact:
- In Nigeria, Lola Omolola ([link removed] ) founded Female IN ([link removed] ) , a Facebook group of 2 million women on a mission to “end the culture of silence” by providing a space for women around the world to share untold stories regarding sexual abuses and other challenges they are facing.
- In Colorado, Westminster Colorado Neighbors! ([link removed] ) is a Facebook group of 10,000 people who live in Westminster, a town close to Denver. The Westminster group is a representative example of the millions of groups on Google, Facebook, Reddit, and others that are the homepage for local life and small-town democracy. Yes, they’re on Facebook, but their membership is 10% of Westminster’s total population.
// Solutions from low-tech to high-tech
New_ Public is starting to launch pilots on top of existing platforms aimed at giving the moderators of groups like Westminster Colorado Neighbors! the tools and best practices to build thriving digital spaces today.
Similar to human-centered design, the approach starts with the “latent behavior”—the behavior from moderators and users that’s already happening—and then figures out how tech tools and practices can make that behavior easier.
- Everyday practices: There are low-tech, everyday practices that can be shared broadly across group moderators. When someone posts something inappropriate in the Female IN community, members use a “grumpy cat” meme in the replies as a gentle reminder that certain behavior is unwelcome in their group. Instead of public shaming, it is a subtle but clear signal that reinforces prosocial behavior. Such proven practices to build healthy communities hide in plain sight; they just need to be shared.
- New tech tools: New_ Public is building community surveys and tools that help members and moderators steer their communities to be healthy and inclusive. One tool, which is still in development, helps a group moderator redirect a conversation that's getting incendiary towards a more constructive structure.
// Creating democratic experiences
Like the experience in her youth of getting to school with Mativo’s help, Doshi believes that experiences that help people understand society’s interconnectedness are the elementary building blocks of a thriving democracy. “We are not letting go of the democracy problem, but we are trying to find an avenue into it that is grounded in the people problems.”
It’s possible that the most ambitious project of reinventing the internet starts in the most quotidian of digital spaces.
Project Liberty in the news
// The CDPI ([link removed] ) (Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure) has officially endorsed DSNP and included it in their curated solution stack! This endorsement by the pro bono tech architecture advisory team based in Bengaluru, India, means that DSNP will be recommended to dozens of governments worldwide, marking a major step forward in Project Liberty’s journey.
Other notable headlines
// 🤔 An article in The New Yorker ([link removed] ) cautioned not to believe everything we're hearing about misinformation. People may espouse symbolic beliefs, cognitive scientists say, but they don’t treat them the same as factual beliefs.
// 🖥 Large language models are getting bigger and better, but an article in The Economist ([link removed] ) asks, can they keep improving forever?
// 🏛 TikTok broke the tech law logjam, according to an article in the New York Times ([link removed] ) . For years, federal lawmakers have tried to pass legislation to rein in the tech giants. The TikTok law was their first success.
// 🔎 An article in The Atlantic ([link removed] ) suggested that AI will spell the demise of SEO. Is it the end of the web as we know it?
// 🏫 According to an investigation by The Markup ([link removed] ) , online censorship in schools is leaving teachers in the lurch with scrapped lesson plans and laborious appeal processes.
// 🤖 An article in the MIT Technology Review ([link removed] ) profiled a new tool out of an MIT lab that helps users figure out the chatbot answers to trust and the ones to throw out.
// 🧪 An article in Tech Policy Press ([link removed] ) outlined four ways to ensure ethical experimentation with AI in the public sector.
// 💼 There are clues in history about the future of AI and if it will take our jobs. An article in Project Syndicate ([link removed] ) argued that we need to understand the past to predict the future.
Partner news & opportunities
// Virtual event on what states can do to protect kids
May 15 at 7pm ET
Mothers Against Media Addiction ([link removed] ) is hosting a virtual discussion on how states can protect children online. Experts will explore the role that state policies play in safeguarding children's well-being in the digital age. Register here ([link removed] ) .
// Recording of event on digital identity & human rights in the EU
Last week, Identity Valley ([link removed] ) hosted a talk in Brussels on the intersection of digital identity and human rights in the EU, exploring data protection, privacy, and trust in digital systems. Watch a recording here ([link removed] ) .
// Civic Saturday Fellowship application
Apply to join Citizen University ([link removed] ) as a Civic Saturday Fellow. The Civic Saturday Fellowship trains civic leaders to organize and host ritualized gatherings that deepen connections among community members. Apply by May 17th ([link removed] ) !
What did you think of today's newsletter?
We'd love to hear what you thought of today's newsletter. Reply to this email with:
- Feedback for how we can make this newsletter better
- Ideas for future editions
- A recommendation of someone we should interview
/ Project Liberty is advancing responsible development of the internet, designed and governed for the common good. /
Thank you for reading.
Facebook ([link removed] )
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Sin título-3_Mesa de trabajo 1 ([link removed] )
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501 W 30th Street, Suite 40A,
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Unsubscribe ([link removed] ) Manage Preferences ([link removed] )
© 2023 Project Liberty
View in browser ([link removed] )
April 30, 2024 // Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up to receive your own copy here. ([link removed] )
To rebuild the internet, solve the simplest problem first
For Deepti Doshi, her most profound insights about how to build healthy, democratic digital spaces came from an unlikely, offline place decades ago: the back of a taxi cab.
Growing up, Doshi ([link removed] ) , who is Co-Director of New_ Public ([link removed] ) , often needed help getting a ride to school because her dad was sick. Her mom would enlist the help of Patrick Mativo, a local taxi driver, to drive the Doshi kids to school.
Doshi looks back on that experience as formative: It showed her what it looks like to have an interconnected community. No matter how different Mativo was from her, she realized that he was there for her family, and her family could be there for his.
Getting a lift from a neighbor with a taxi might not initially seem like an experience that strengthens democracy, but Doshi believes it is, and that it holds clues for how we build better digital spaces, as well.
She’s taken this insight into her work of building a better web. Project Liberty connected with her to understand New_ Public’s unique and sometimes low-tech approach to building the next generation of the web.
// Technical fixes to people problems
Earlier in her career, Doshi built Haiyya ([link removed] ) , a grassroots leadership development organization in Mumbai, India that supported people to run neighborhood, issue-based campaigns.
Her experience in door-to-door organizing and building Haiyya led Doshi to Facebook for seven years, where she built the Global Community Partnerships team focused on supporting Facebook groups.
At Facebook, Doshi learned that you can’t code your way out of problems around cohesion or belonging.
There was tech that enabled these groups to exist, but at their heart, they were propelled by humans. “You can’t take away the human layer of what’s required for a group to feel a great sense of belonging and safety and inclusion,” Doshi said.
//
You can’t code your way out of problems around cohesion or belonging.
//
// Decentralized internet, de-centered people
From new protocols like DSNP ([link removed] ) to new social networks like Mastodon ([link removed] ) and MeWe ([link removed] ) to the cooperatively-owned server May First ([link removed] ) and New_ Public's own vision to “reimagine the internet as a public space,” there’s great momentum in building the next generation of the internet.
But the problem, according to Doshi, is that the decentralized internet ecosystem can fixate too much on solving democracy problems, or power problems, without solving the “people problems” first.
- People problems are the everyday problems that are top-of-mind. People need a ride to school in the morning, or they want to connect with their family and friends, or they’re seeking a sense of purpose in their life.
- The ecosystem around the decentralized web was born out of a desire to solve a loftier problem: shift the balance of power away from tech companies, give users more control over their data, and create a more participatory internet—all admirable objectives. But none of that’s possible without making products people want to use.
// Bolstering the internet we've got
For those committed to building the next generation of the web, Doshi believes there is value in balancing the imaginative, revolutionary, and necessary work of building new spaces on the internet with the practical, evolutionary work of making today’s digital spaces healthier.
- “We need to work with community stewards and organizers who are publicly minded and trying to do the right thing, even if they’re on Facebook, Reddit, and Google Groups,” Doshi said.
- Bluesky and Mastodon could be powerful alternatives to the status quo, but that’s “not where enough of the people are right now,” she said.
As examples, Doshi highlighted two Facebook groups that are driving real impact:
- In Nigeria, Lola Omolola ([link removed] ) founded Female IN ([link removed] ) , a Facebook group of 2 million women on a mission to “end the culture of silence” by providing a space for women around the world to share untold stories regarding sexual abuses and other challenges they are facing.
- In Colorado, Westminster Colorado Neighbors! ([link removed] ) is a Facebook group of 10,000 people who live in Westminster, a town close to Denver. The Westminster group is a representative example of the millions of groups on Google, Facebook, Reddit, and others that are the homepage for local life and small-town democracy. Yes, they’re on Facebook, but their membership is 10% of Westminster’s total population.
// Solutions from low-tech to high-tech
New_ Public is starting to launch pilots on top of existing platforms aimed at giving the moderators of groups like Westminster Colorado Neighbors! the tools and best practices to build thriving digital spaces today.
Similar to human-centered design, the approach starts with the “latent behavior”—the behavior from moderators and users that’s already happening—and then figures out how tech tools and practices can make that behavior easier.
- Everyday practices: There are low-tech, everyday practices that can be shared broadly across group moderators. When someone posts something inappropriate in the Female IN community, members use a “grumpy cat” meme in the replies as a gentle reminder that certain behavior is unwelcome in their group. Instead of public shaming, it is a subtle but clear signal that reinforces prosocial behavior. Such proven practices to build healthy communities hide in plain sight; they just need to be shared.
- New tech tools: New_ Public is building community surveys and tools that help members and moderators steer their communities to be healthy and inclusive. One tool, which is still in development, helps a group moderator redirect a conversation that's getting incendiary towards a more constructive structure.
// Creating democratic experiences
Like the experience in her youth of getting to school with Mativo’s help, Doshi believes that experiences that help people understand society’s interconnectedness are the elementary building blocks of a thriving democracy. “We are not letting go of the democracy problem, but we are trying to find an avenue into it that is grounded in the people problems.”
It’s possible that the most ambitious project of reinventing the internet starts in the most quotidian of digital spaces.
Project Liberty in the news
// The CDPI ([link removed] ) (Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure) has officially endorsed DSNP and included it in their curated solution stack! This endorsement by the pro bono tech architecture advisory team based in Bengaluru, India, means that DSNP will be recommended to dozens of governments worldwide, marking a major step forward in Project Liberty’s journey.
Other notable headlines
// 🤔 An article in The New Yorker ([link removed] ) cautioned not to believe everything we're hearing about misinformation. People may espouse symbolic beliefs, cognitive scientists say, but they don’t treat them the same as factual beliefs.
// 🖥 Large language models are getting bigger and better, but an article in The Economist ([link removed] ) asks, can they keep improving forever?
// 🏛 TikTok broke the tech law logjam, according to an article in the New York Times ([link removed] ) . For years, federal lawmakers have tried to pass legislation to rein in the tech giants. The TikTok law was their first success.
// 🔎 An article in The Atlantic ([link removed] ) suggested that AI will spell the demise of SEO. Is it the end of the web as we know it?
// 🏫 According to an investigation by The Markup ([link removed] ) , online censorship in schools is leaving teachers in the lurch with scrapped lesson plans and laborious appeal processes.
// 🤖 An article in the MIT Technology Review ([link removed] ) profiled a new tool out of an MIT lab that helps users figure out the chatbot answers to trust and the ones to throw out.
// 🧪 An article in Tech Policy Press ([link removed] ) outlined four ways to ensure ethical experimentation with AI in the public sector.
// 💼 There are clues in history about the future of AI and if it will take our jobs. An article in Project Syndicate ([link removed] ) argued that we need to understand the past to predict the future.
Partner news & opportunities
// Virtual event on what states can do to protect kids
May 15 at 7pm ET
Mothers Against Media Addiction ([link removed] ) is hosting a virtual discussion on how states can protect children online. Experts will explore the role that state policies play in safeguarding children's well-being in the digital age. Register here ([link removed] ) .
// Recording of event on digital identity & human rights in the EU
Last week, Identity Valley ([link removed] ) hosted a talk in Brussels on the intersection of digital identity and human rights in the EU, exploring data protection, privacy, and trust in digital systems. Watch a recording here ([link removed] ) .
// Civic Saturday Fellowship application
Apply to join Citizen University ([link removed] ) as a Civic Saturday Fellow. The Civic Saturday Fellowship trains civic leaders to organize and host ritualized gatherings that deepen connections among community members. Apply by May 17th ([link removed] ) !
What did you think of today's newsletter?
We'd love to hear what you thought of today's newsletter. Reply to this email with:
- Feedback for how we can make this newsletter better
- Ideas for future editions
- A recommendation of someone we should interview
/ Project Liberty is advancing responsible development of the internet, designed and governed for the common good. /
Thank you for reading.
Facebook ([link removed] )
LinkedIn ([link removed] )
Sin título-3_Mesa de trabajo 1 ([link removed] )
Instagram ([link removed] )
logo foter rojo ([link removed] )
501 W 30th Street, Suite 40A,
New York, New York, 10001
Unsubscribe ([link removed] ) Manage Preferences ([link removed] )
© 2023 Project Liberty
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