Ignorance is Bliss

What America would be like if we nuke net neutrality

It starts out with the Internet Freedom Preservation Act failing. The likes of AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and Time Warner have seen the fruits of their lobbyists' labor. The Internet now works on a tiered system, where better quality means higher prices for the customer (check out The Daily Show clip below for a more details).



At first, the average Internet consumer doesn't really notice that much of a difference. Sure, you have to pay more for higher speeds. But we've all learned to live with such a system for our cable and phone services, so it's not terribly life altering.

Then one day you go to access a certain Web site, let's say some grassroots nonprofit group. Surprise, surprise- you get a vague message from Time Warner saying the site is not available.

Turns out that nonprofit has some pretty strong views against good 'ol TW, and TW would rather you not see those views for yourself- not on their Internet, at least (because, remember, the Internet isn't the free commodity it was once designed to be. No, no, it's now at the mercy of media conglomerates.)

So you get a little annoyed. Maybe you decide to access the site at a friend's house, where he or she uses AT&T rather than Time Warner. Or maybe you give up trying to see the site. It's not worth the hassle.

Some time goes by. You're learning to live without net neutrality, learning to not explore the Internet anymore. Some sites you just don't have access to anymore, which sucks, but you've come to terms with it.

And then the bomb drops. You go to do your daily Facebook stalking, but this time you get that all-too-familiar message again from Time Warner saying you cannot access the site. You panic. You feel faint. No Facebook? This must be a joke.

There is a simple explanation, really. Facebook creator and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has refused to strike a deal with Time Warner. The social network mastermind has been notorious for his independence- he rejected Viacom's $750 million offer along with Yahoo's nearly $1 billion bid.

So when Zuckerberg takes a pass on a TW's offer to team-up, the Internet provider gets even by banning the popular site from all its users. Not that far-fetched, considering BellSouth allegedly blocked customers' access to Myspace.com in Tennessee and Florida in 2006.

More and more you begin to see this "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" mentality emerge. The Internet becomes highly commercialized, with Time Warner creating their own news content, consumer goods, you name it. Internet providers become a one-stop shop for their customers.

Some more time goes by. All the fervor from net neutrality has died, and people adapt to this new Internet. After all, it is rather convenient-- your Internet provider gives you everything you need and want. You don't have to even think anymore.

It's kind of like 1984 meets Fahrenheit 451, with a nice sugar coating from big media conglomerates, because who really needs all that freedom, right? Tell me what I can and cannot look at and then charge me up the ass for it, please. By this time I won't know the difference. We're now living our own version of The Truman Show, where ignorance is such peaceful, peaceful bliss.

I'll leave you with the video below. It's the most comprehensive, digestable representation of net neutrality I've found, and it really makes you stop and think (ok, so it's a little one-sided considering the group Save the Internet put it out, but whatever. Just watch it).