The difference between a helpmeet and a parasite is power. If we want to enjoy the benefits of intermediaries without the risks, we need policies that keep middlemen weak. That’s the opposite of the system we have now.
Take interoperability and IP law. Interoperability (basically, plugging new things into existing things) is a really powerful check against powerful middlemen. If you rely on an ad-exchange to fund your newsgathering and they start ripping you off, then an interoperable system that lets you use a different exchange will not only end the rip off – it’ll make it less likely to happen in the first place because the ad-tech platform will be afraid of losing your business
Doctorow can write a great detective novel but he lives in absolute La La land. I’m glad he’s open about the fact he’s just distracting himself with this post, but the idea that these webs of laws or these models of “how things should work” mean anything tho the people with power are complete nonsense.
He has some understanding of that, I think? But like, buddy, your country just went full Nazi. You’ve been living in a total fantasy. You’re not going to rethink the concept of fixers, get a grip.
The problem is, once the middlemen gain power, they’re never gonna give you up. Music producers are a great example of this, as are telecoms companies.
All the current SaaS stuff is similar; the offerings LOOK similar, but they’re explicitly designed not to be a 1:1 match, so you can’t just take your business elsewhere, just like the mattress companies of old.
We’re even seeing this play out in the streaming video market, where each player has its own differentiator, moreso than we ever saw with traditional cable TV.
Standards are great, but middlemen have no incentives to not subvert them.
You know I think he actually uses the music producer example in his 2nd novel (The Bezzle).
Heaven forbid someone point out the reasons things suck and the ways we could do thibgs different, even if you know no one’s going to change.
Better to just shrug everything off and tell folks “that’s life, get used to it”, right? That does a lot of good!
the idea that these webs of laws or these models of “how things should work” mean anything tho the people with power are complete nonsense.
Kinda ironic that you are discussing the nonsense of “how things should work” on a federated service where you control the intermediaries you work with and through, which is, IMO, the way things should work.
Heyyyy you’re right
