The Impending Digital Dystopia

A digital dystopia could be upon us.

That has dark implications — however, I just wanted to touch on a series of interesting concepts that entered my mind over the weekend. With the internet shifting from the web2 to the web3 model, and the metaverse concept becoming more prominent every day, my thoughts drifted to a darker, more secluded place.

The wider society’s concept of reality is slowly shifting. Most of society prioritizes the need to digitize our physical reality for the purposes of automation, efficiency, and improve quality of life.

I am one of these people. Web3 is amazing, and can help liberate and free many people from depending purely on services and more on themselves.

However, what happens when it gets taken too far? Can it?

Enter, digital dystopia.

What is Digital Dystopia?

Digital dystopia or cyber dystopia or algorithmic dystopia refers to an alternate future or present in which digitized technologies or also algorithms have caused major societal disruption. — Wikipedia

This concept has existed for quite some time. It refers to the concept of our digital presence being so prominent to the point of disruption.

While this is highly unlikely, the reputation of crypto has had almost an “anarchist” view at times.

In theory, a series of federated networks could be created. Society then has to decide which network(s) to adopt and abide by. As the digital space dominates most of the people’s digital day-to-day actions, naturally this would be the next step.

I call this the “Digital Federation Model”.

The Future of The Web — Digital Federation Model

Web3 — which includes blockchain, regular ML/AI, edge computing, and interoperability has all the tools to make this happen.

Blockchain is ideal for defining rules and records. It records what happened at what time, who exactly was involved, what actions were performed, and whether those actions abided by the network rules or not. In other words, a blockchain can almost act as a governing body for information.

Furthermore, most blockchains are interoperable. Take Polkadot or Cosmos, for example, which is a relay chain made up of many other chains (called parachains), each with their own applications, rules, and ecosystems. However, they all have a common relay chain to form an Internet of Blockchains.

As a result of this, the Digital Federation Model can operate in much of the same way.

Imagine if each state in the United States was represented by a parachain — each with its separate laws, regulations, nuances, and the like. They can all communicate with each other through a common relay chain — the Federal government chain.

Depending on how this was implemented, it could actually provide a lot more transparency for ruling bodies, companies, or other organizations where transparency is needed.

There’s actually a lot of positives to this sort of model, as it can promote transparency, efficiency, and trust between citizens and ruling bodies.

How Does The Metaverse Fit Into All Of This?

The metaverse usually refers to the transformation of the internet into a more immersive and universal experience. It usually aims to simulate actual reality through VR/AR tech.

While blockchain, AI, and other “backend” web3 tech provide the backbone infrastructure, the metaverse serves as a “frontend” for it. In other words, these federated spaces can be visually simulated and created in the metaverse.

This is also where digital dystopia can come in, as the use of these federated chains of rule can be entirely conducted in the metaverse — causing a sort of ultimate reliance for the general population on digital technology, and not enough in the real world.

The metaverse truly could provide an alternate reality to socialize, conduct business and more.

The health impacts — both physical and mental — can be profound. If society chooses to go this route, a balance must be struck in order to avoid any long-term damage or harm to a society related to this technology.

Conclusion

My writing usually covers technical use cases with web3 — however, I feel as though this was necessary to cover. The implications of this technology are a double-edged sword. It can be both incredibly powerful and liberating, but also could further entrap people into a world that has been proven to harm mental and physical well-being.

Web3 is the future, and incredibly powerful. How we utilize it is important, and more importantly, learning what it can do.

That’s wraps — until next time,

pce out!