Unblocked

Chapter 1. KINDLING, MEET MATCH

Our world is now 30 years into its internet-driven, digital-centric life. This has changed us. It’s reshaped how we do the business of life—running a household or working a job. It’s dominated our leisure time. Altered our patterns of communication. Given us new ways to influence. Changed the architecture of our expectations—what we expect a friend, partner, colleague, or a business to be capable of.

It has also given us unprecedented capability. Inspired by the higher bar set by disruptive, digital-first players, we learned to demand more. We have a voice. And we can use it around the clock, through a spectrum of channels, to give rise to our collective influence. This power has shaped markets, as businesses clamored to respond to the new customer we have become. It has challenged established institutions, playing a role in evolving social norms, influencing geopolitical dialogue, and even toppling dictators. And it has moved us, since the dawn of the web, to a steadily escalating desire for more accountability, transparency, participation, inclusion, and openness.

But there is a dark underbelly to our digital transformation, and now, 30 years in, we are waking to a growing awareness of the implications of what we have created. Many people are realizing that the way the internet was built is costing us dearly. Power has become concentrated in the hands of a few internet giants, who now wield undue influence. Our digital lives generate heaps of ...