It is my humble opinion that the Internet in its current incarnation is in its final throes. What once was a thriving, glorious picture of equality and human potential is whithering even at its height, as all that is manmade is wont to do. It will follow largely in the footsteps of television before it, and radio prior, in shifting from an open and accessible medium to one that is controlled, cordoned off for specific users and rationed out on the whims of corporate America. Already this has begun, and there is nothing that can be done to stop the juggernaut.
There are many who would argue with my conclusion, clinging still to their idealism and the notion that many are fighting in their favor, fighting for ‘neutrality’, and that ultimately the government will step in to save them. I hope that it doesn’t. While I realize the full weight and meaning of these words, net neutrality is not only a doomed idea, but it is one that brings with it far greater consequences than those with which it contends. Yes, it seems unfair that the lines that feed us with this lifestream of data should be controlled by so few, but far worse would it be for these conduits to be managed by a government that demands ever more control. In the words of Abigail Adams: “Power whether vested in many or a few is ever grasping, and like the grave cries give, give.” No, government is not our savior. Neither will the strength of advocates of freedom and neutrality - names like Lessig, Doctorow, Stallman - endure the onward march of culture and corporatism. This is not to say that efforts to these ends will have no effect on the outcome; surely talk of net neutrality and of intellectual freedom will shape and refine the next wave of change, but it will not stop it from happening.
The problem lies not with corporate power, as many would say, but with the consumerist mentality of those who would rather take what they are served than seek out something new. As the Internet becomes less and less a place devoted to minority culture (this referring not to racial minority, but rather to social minority, exemplified most easily by those we would call “nerds” or “geeks”, but also including a great many other groups), and more of a gathering place for the masses, the content it carries must necessarily change with it. It is not that minority culture disappears - indeed, it thrives - but it is crowded out by a superfluity of mainstream media. Furthermore, as the common people ‘invade the space’ of the minority groups, the latter will become recluse, and will seek out the places on the web that are less populated, where they will be less likely to be bothered.
These shifts can already be seen by anyone who cares to look. The citizenry of the ‘net is demanding new content, and corporations are naturally more than willing to comply. Thus we see the rise of streaming video, both through new companies (e.g. hulu and its many new competitors) as well as through the very same sources that bring us content over older mediums (nearly every major network provider has their own solution for streaming video). This is not bad at all; in fact, much good can come from the new competition. However, it comes at a price, and that is the creativity and individualism that the Internet was once known for. The long tail of the Internet diminishes, and it becomes just another medium, dedicated largely to the propagation of the same content we have consumed since the invention of mass media.
Again, we see the same type of movement in the arena of social interaction. Where once the Internet was populated by a horde of small social forums based on common interest, it has become a highly integrated and networked web of personal connections and interactions. Forums gave way to MySpace, which in turn is giving way to the blogosphere and Facebook. This too shall pass in time, quite possibly giving way to a more open social format, such as OpenID or Twitter. Netizens are congregating in ever larger numbers, and the Internet as a whole is now more like a gigantic city, where once it was a plethora of isolated villages. This growth will only continue as more and more people get connected.
But if you feel as I do, that the Internet you love is changing in some ways for the worse, take heart! For where there is corporate interest there is always a cleft in the rock where those who search hard enough may discover what they seek. As long as web companies like hulu, Amazon, facebook, Google, &c. can turn a profit through the network, there will still exist a congregation place for anyone with a connection. And though it may not look like it does now, though it may be segmented into channels or served in varying payment plans and data rates, companies will follow their pocketbooks as they always do, ensuring that our children will still have this same vast social and informational resource we enjoy. The Wild Wired West is growing and expanding, and with it comes new structure and governance; no longer is it the information frontier, but it is still the information superhighway.