corporate internet

created by zenintrude

(thing) by zenintrude (6.8 y) (print) ? (I like it!) Wed Jun 27 2001 at 23:19:13

The age of free information is over. There was a time when creating a site for the express concern of becoming indi-famous and entertaining/informing the masses were the only concerns. People didn't expect to be paid for their fresh insight; who would pay anyone to read about retro-toys or analysis of the stupidity plaguing the world? And that's exactly the point: Webmasters were writing exactly what they wanted without second-guessing themselves (`Will this offend my sponsor? Better not post it.').

Now, we end up with a corporate circus to grab the next big thing, and plaster logos of sponsorship all over it. Sites no longer become fresh and new, but are time-locked at the exact moment that their corporate `friends' felt they were best.

Not only do these corporate advertising networks steal from the fans, but the webmasters are also shafted. It's a vicious cycle, and the end result is a hollow shell of a site with no further funding, and an individual with a much darker outlook on the world.

Now, I'd be a hypocrite if I were to say that I wouldn't love to be paid to sit in front of my computer everyday, spewing out whatever dribble happened to be floating around in my mind at any given moment. What I am saying is this: Are we occupying the same place we were 3 years ago? Is the Internet still the ultimate land of the free, or is it a wasteland for corporate enterprise? It looks the same, but am I in a place where I can be shocked or inspired at any given click of the mouse?

I'm slowly coming to grips with the homogenisation of a place I used to love.

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