How the Internet really works – and it’s not pretty

When the tech pundits talk about free speech then they easily forget the power structures of the “new world”

This article is worth a read If you have little experience and understanding of what is going on under the hood.

And to the people over at EFF and netzpolitik.org I shout: why don’t you work on democratically based tools and mechanisms to keep forces balanced instead of moving over the currently broken equilibrium of the Internet to the real world?

When it comes to mods, the political model of Reddit is not so much a vast digital democracy, as it’s often framed by fans and users, as online feudalism. Moderators like Violentacrez are given absolute control over their turf in exchange for keeping the kingdom of Reddit strong. Moderators become more or less powerful in direct relation to the number and popularity of the subreddits they moderate, so they try to take over other subreddits to boost their profile in the community. Inevitably, Reddit’s administrators develop relationships with the most influential moderators. Like feuding medieval lords vying for the king’s favor, moderators form alliances or wage epic flame wars over power struggles.

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