Information Incarceration
Information wants to be free, as it has been said. It even has its own (free) Wikipedia page.
But more and more it is incarcerated. Facebook is the most egregious in this respect. Clicking on article links opens them within Facebook's fencing. Even apps that I love such as Pocket involve breaking through walls ("Switch to Web View>Open in Safari") Yes information still wants to be free, but we have realized it would be dangerous to let those desires run wild. Stewart Brand's proclamation has become a perfect paradox. Free is a term of art, literally.
But more and more it is incarcerated. Facebook is the most egregious in this respect. Clicking on article links opens them within Facebook's fencing. Even apps that I love such as Pocket involve breaking through walls ("Switch to Web View>Open in Safari") Yes information still wants to be free, but we have realized it would be dangerous to let those desires run wild. Stewart Brand's proclamation has become a perfect paradox. Free is a term of art, literally.
