Re:What to do once you admit that decentralization never see...
by dredmorbius on Saturday August 31, 2019 @06:25PM
(#20849185)
Yes, this. It's a realisation I've had in the past few years and am starting to discuss myself.
It's a key reason why technological improvements tend to increase rather than decrease inequality. Technology, generally, appears to serve wealth and power.
I'm not fully convinced this is a universal rule, though it seems at the very least a strong bias. It seems to fall from the observation that "all machines are amplifiers", which means that all machines are force multipliers.
It may be that there are technologies which are dissipators and can be used to deflect or divert attacks, though these still seem to favour the more heavily-capitalised party. Shields rather than swords or range weapons, or perhaps distracting / obscuring capabilities.
What makes for decentralised systems is increased frictions, whether physical, political, cultural, or social.
Where transport is expensive, materials are locally sourced, talent participates locally, government and business operate locally.
It was the factory system, mass production, transport, and advertising which allowed one factory or manufacturer to serve the whole world. Mind: specialisation means that there are probably many individual niches which can be filled, though horizontal and veritical integration may carve into this as well.
It's a key reason why technological improvements tend to increase rather than decrease inequality. Technology, generally, appears to serve wealth and power.
I'm not fully convinced this is a universal rule, though it seems at the very least a strong bias. It seems to fall from the observation that "all machines are amplifiers", which means that all machines are force multipliers.
It may be that there are technologies which are dissipators and can be used to deflect or divert attacks, though these still seem to favour the more heavily-capitalised party. Shields rather than swords or range weapons, or perhaps distracting / obscuring capabilities.
What makes for decentralised systems is increased frictions, whether physical, political, cultural, or social.
Where transport is expensive, materials are locally sourced, talent participates locally, government and business operate locally.
It was the factory system, mass production, transport, and advertising which allowed one factory or manufacturer to serve the whole world. Mind: specialisation means that there are probably many individual niches which can be filled, though horizontal and veritical integration may carve into this as well.