This is an interesting concept that Blocktrades mentioned as a central premise in his thinking about what we are doing with Hive. For all that Hive offers, what about the idea of being able to with others freely?
It is something that is lost upon our society. There was a time when we could talk with whomever we wanted. Granted, we are mostly dealing with face-to-face communications so the pool of people was rather limited.
Of course, we could then look at old-school letter writing. It was possible to sit down, pen a letter, and send it to anyone desired. While the postal system was involved, they did not monitor what was sent in letters. Certainly, there are some things that cannot be mailed but that mostly applies to items.
Content was not scanned nor interrupted.
The same is not true today. We live in a world where the exact opposite is the case. If we want to communicate, it is with permission.
Communication Intermediaries
We now have intermediaries.
This is something we experience throughout our live with regards to financial matters. Paying with cash was akin to open communication yet that died as the use of physical currency diminished. When entering the electronic, then digital, realm, everything was suddenly monitored.
The same thing happened when communication.
When snail mail turned into email, Google and companies like that could engage in surveillance. As we turned to other communication mediums, technology platforms suddenly had a lot more control.
Of course, we gave it over willingly.
Whenever we log in, we are only doing so with their permission. Do you want to host a call on Discord or Zoom? What is required to initiate the call? Permission.
While some might make the case with the old telephone system, as long as the bill was paid, the call was made. Under extreme cases, a government entity might get a wire tap authorized. How ironic that sound?
Today, all calls that take place through the technology platforms are recorded.
There is always an intermediary providing permission. We cannot post an article without authorization. Any type of communication between parties only comes with approval.
Hive seeks to change this.
Democratizing Communication
This is a concept that is not often discussed. In fact, it is rarely thought about in these terms. However, if we are going to have freedom, the ability to communicate with those we want without receiving permission from others is essential.
Here we see how it is up to us to democratize communication. This means returning to a time when people were able to engage with anyone else by simply talking with each other.
Naturally, we have to put a 21st century spin on it and make it applicable in the digital world.
That mean removing intermediaries from the equation. This is no different than what we are looking to accomplish within the financial sector.
Decentralized Finance (DeFi), when you think about it, is nothing more than the ability to conduct financial transactions without the permission of another. This is the removal of the layers of intermediaries that control the present financial system.
Text Communication
Hive, at present, offers the ability to interact via text.
When engaging with the blockchain, there is one requirement: the the resource credits necessary to interact.
That is it.
As long as that is met, there are a number of applications which enable one to post whatever is desired. There is no permission granted from any individual or company. This is why true account ownership is crucial. If an account can be closed down, there is an intermediary somewhere.
Hive has returned us to the days when writing a letter and posting it to anyone with an address was possible. Of course, this is a bit different since it is not direct to a single individual. Instead, we can see it to potentially 5.25 billion people all over the world.
Expanding This Concept
We are seeing this idea expanded.
SpkNetwork is working on decentralized video and image storage. This is important because memes have become a 21st century communication tool. Millions are produced daily, all conveying ideas.
Again, with a decentralized system where individuals are hosting the content, this removes the traditional intermediaries who provide video and image storage. Here is where entities such as AWS operate.
By expanding the mediums included in this effort, we are providing more avenues for freedom of interaction. This is at the heart of communication.
We are looking to construct a broad system where communication without intermediaries is, once again, possible. This includes all forms of interaction, with people basically operating in a direct manner. Platforms that monitor and regulate what is taking place is not freedom.
As we can see, tyranny is often the result. People are continually having their digital lives slaughtered simply because some company decides it wants to.
Sadly, we do not realize how undemocratic our communication systems became. Silicon Valley, along with its association with governments, have hijacked all chance of open engagement. It inserted itself right in the middle of all conversations, requiring permission every step of the way.
Hive is here to change that. Some of the projects presently being worked upon remove these elements from the system.
Just like with money, we are moving creating the same benefits people had a half century ago yet with a digital twist on it.
Once again, we see how this is deeper than people think.
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