Like a lot of people in tech in the years leading up to, during, and after COVID, my relationship to the Internet and technology changed on a profound level.
I spent the greater part of my youth devouring and regurgitating tech and internet hype. I sincerely believed that information technology was the solution to most, if not all, of society’s ills. I was too caught up in the novelty of this new technology to consider the serious downsides. It wasn’t all bad, however. This enthusiasm led me to get my Library and Information Sciences degree.
Ironically, it was the insight gained from my MLIS degree that contributed to my declining enthusiasm for technology. As the implications of disinformation and information illiteracy played out in recent years, I watched my relationship with technology swing from a source of inspiration to a fount of existential dread. In time, outside of what I needed to do for daily work, I withdrew from social media and the Internet almost entirely.
Others have written with similar experiences. We’ve all heard the reasons: the enshittification of the Web, misinformation, cyberbullying, how generative AI is making the Dead Internet theory more of a reality, Zoom Fatigue. At this rate, why bother with the web anymore? Anything you post is going to be used to train generative AI models, further continuing to crowd out signal with noise.
![A garish image of a computer-generated skeleton holding a machine gun in each hand. In clashing fonts and colors text reads "BRING BACK RSS READER'S [sic] AND BLOG'S"](https://sherrard.glaittli.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/78304F96-7086-4928-B81B-61C912754D58-1024x1024.jpg)
And yet, I’ve been inspired watching some colleagues in my professional network, such as Tracy Forzaglia and Stuart Maxwell, restart websites and blogs. Additionally, I love the work of Molly White (Web 3 is Going Just Great, Follow the Crypto) and her work reminds me the value of having a platform that you control. The old Internet is still there, dammit.
I also had a great conversation with Jorge Arango at IAC 2024. This conversation was partially responsible for Jorge writing an article about why the IA field needs to get out of the AI doldrums. The conversation also helped rekindle my curiosity towards these new technologies.
Yes, the harms are real and they will continue to grow, horrifyingly, in scale. As Jorge reminded me, nay, challenged me, that doesn’t preclude us from getting nerdy with the tools to find out what good they can do. Challenge accepted.
In addition to writing about “AI” technology itself, I plan to discuss developments in policy such as:
- Transparent or Understandable AI
- Ethical or Responsible AI
- Trustworthy AI
- Robust AI
- Sustainable AI
I also want to write about topics relating to:
- Linked Open Data “infrastructure”
- Information Theory in everyday life
- Humane design and the ethics of information environments
- Stuff I just think is neat
I am not a Machine Learning or Generative AI expert. I don’t have a software engineering degree. But I hold a Masters in Library and Information Science from the University of Washington Information School. I am an experienced Taxonomist, Ontologist, and Information Architect, who has had the pleasure to work with semantic technologies in enterprise environments. I hope to use this platform to have professional conversations, learn in public, and also to help other learn in the process.
I’m excited to explore what we can do when we take the means of communications back from centralized platforms. I think the Internet can be “fun” again.
Protocols Not Platforms!
Pods Not Profiles!
Disaffected info nerds of the word, unite! ✊- Sherrard
