Ethan Zuckerman Co-Authors Manifesto for a Smaller, Denser Internet

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Ethan Zuckerman, public policy, communication, information and computer sciences, and founder of the Initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure, recently provided editorial direction for a new white paper "The Three-Legged Stool: A Manifesto for a Smaller, Denser Internet."

"We believe this moment, when people are so dissatisfied with the platforms that have dominated for the past decade-and-a-half, presents a unique opportunity to build a digital public sphere where people and communities with different preferences and purposes can participate accordingly."

Co-authored by CICS research fellows Chand Rajendra-Nicolucci and Michael Sugarman, the paper calls for an internet comprised of Very Small Online Platforms (VSOPs) that serve smaller communities than the current online platform models we are used to navigating. "Just as we do not exclusively gather in shopping malls in the physical world, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are not the right place for every community and conversation online," say the authors. The paper proposes that VSOPs work in tandem with a "loyal client," allowing users to post to all of their social feeds at once, and a marketplace allowing users to easily and safely navigate VSOPs of interest.