The Dark Forest Theory of the Internet
link:: https://onezero.medium.com/the-dark-forest-theory-of-the-internet-7dc3e68a7cb1 published:: May 20th, 2019 author:: Yancey Strickler tags:: #article, #dark forest
- Part Two Beyond the Dark Forest Theory of the Internet
- Quotes
- In his sci-fi trilogy The Three Body Problem, author Liu Cixin presents the dark forest theory of the universe.
- The dark forest is full of life. It’s quiet because night is when the predators come out. To survive, the animals stay silent. id:: 63af4c6f-52c4-4217-b332-eafa2414e7dd
- Is our universe an empty forest or a dark one? If it’s a dark forest, then only Earth is foolish enough to ping the heavens and announce its presence. The rest of the universe already knows the real reason why the forest stays dark. It’s only a matter of time before the Earth learns as well.
- This is also what the internet is becoming: a dark forest.
- ^^In response to the ads, the tracking, the trolling, the hype, and other predatory behaviors, we’re retreating to our dark forests of the internet, and away from the mainstream.^^
- This very piece is an example of this. This theory was first shared on a private channel sent to 500 people who I know or who have explicitly chosen to receive it. This is the online environment in which I feel most secure. Where I can be my most “real self.”
- The influence of Facebook, Twitter, and others is enormous and not going away. There’s a reason why Russian military focused on these platforms when they wanted to manipulate public opinion: they have a real impact. The meaning and tone of these platforms changes with who uses them. ^^What kind of bowling alley it is depends on who goes there.^^
- Should a significant percentage of the population abandon these spaces, that will leave nearly as many eyeballs for those who are left to influence, and limit the influence of those who departed on the larger world they still live in.
- If the dark forest isn’t dangerous already, these departures might ensure it will be.
- Imagine a dark forest at night. It’s deathly quiet. Nothing moves. Nothing stirs. This could lead one to assume that the forest is devoid of life. But of course, it’s not.
- The dark forest is full of life. It’s quiet because night is when the predators come out. To survive, the animals stay silent.
- In his sci-fi trilogy The Three Body Problem, author Liu Cixin presents the dark forest theory of the universe.
- The second book in The Three-Body Problem series is called The Dark Forest.