It’s time to face up to the flaws of the web, and fix them

The online environment rewards individualism at the expense of everything else. Promotion of free user-generated content by sites such as YouTube and Reddit has spawned the cult of the amateur. Rumours, gossip and superficial opinions have replaced the deep analysis and considered judgement of mainstream media – significantly diminishing content quality and publisher revenue. Social media giants, like Facebook, deliver constant connectivity in exchange for zero privacy, propelling us towards digital vertigo.

It’s an opinion that goes against the grain in a high-tech society, but I believe that the internet is not the answer. In its current form, it is creating a fragmented, inegalitarian society where marketers battle against the monopoly of the few, and consumer egos, to be heard. It’s time for regulators and entrepreneurs to face up to the flaws of the web and take responsibility for fixing it by building a fairer, and more inclusive, network.

Valley of the kings

I spent almost 30 years right at the epicentre of the commercial web: Silicon Valley. This enabled me to watch the internet become a money-making mechanism for a select group of big brands. Google now controls over 90 per cent of the UK marketplace and is valued at $400bn, while iconic brands such as Kodak – once a huge employer worth $31 billion – are bankrupt. Opportunities for smaller brands to break through are waning.

Fundamentally, the structures of the way we do business have changed, but regulations have not kept pace. The rules of the internet need to be rewritten, restricting the monopoly of big companies to facilitate greater equality. With a more even distribution of power, the winner-takes-all mentality can be abandoned and small brands can be permitted to flourish, bringing creativity and fairness back to the web.

A question of social morality

In our determination to cast off our old identities, we are crafting our own personal brands via social media and, unwittingly, feeding the growth of big brands. Not only is diversity vanishing as individuals are grouped together for simpler marketing, but invasive data gathering is also threatening privacy and increasing the risk of consumer backlash. Furthermore, a lack of gatekeepers is leaving users open to the persecution and propaganda that arises from tight ideological groups and a fascination with the lives of others.

The effects of business on the social web are becoming toxic, which places responsibility firmly on the shoulders of marketers to instill better practices.The parameters of personal data usage must be redefined, creating a new boundary for what is acceptable that the industry can follow. Brands should be moral thought leaders, producing content that encourages tolerance and avoids marginalisation. By raising standards with ethical content, brands can set the bar for the rest of the online community.

While technology can be a force for positive development, it must also replace the old with something superior – a specification the net currently does not meet. Yet it still has the potential to be great.

Regulators have the power to level the playing field by curbing monopolistic brands. Marketers have the ability to implement more responsible data usage and produce inspiring content. Every member of the digital ecosystem has a part to play in building awareness, as I will be at ad:tech London next week, and take action.

By acknowledging the flaws of the web together, we stand a better chance of creating an online world we can all live with.

Andrew Keen is a critic and author and will be a keynote speaker at ad:tech London on 13 October