Translated material
Europe shutdown
The Old World decided to consolidate its lag behind the United States in the IT race by tightening regulation of social networks
Photo: Vedomosti / TASS
The Eurobureaucracy accuses Meta*, which owns Facebook* and Instagram*, of developing addictive designs. We are talking not only about the algorithms that form the feed, but also about its infinity, when messages are loaded one after another, as well as about automatic video playback. Subsequent decisions may lead to both fines and the emergence of regional versions of popular platforms with reduced functionality.
The political layer of Internet governance is generating more and more debate, which translates into practical action. Claims to social services are declared to be the main source of existing problems. User engagement technologies are at best criticized, and at worst they are outlawed. And all this against the backdrop of Europe’s long stagnation in the field of high technology.
If you think about it, everything is generally logical. We live in the era of the “economy of likes” and attention. Everyone has a chance at their moments of fame, expressed in the number of views. Some people use this, and more than successfully.
If you have found your voice and your niche - go ahead, this is a real chance to break out of the gray everyday life and earn money. In any other situation, all these people from impoverished provinces would not have had any chance.
There are no questions from the platforms either. The goal is simple: keep you longer, show more ads, and ultimately promote popular content. After all, if not for the notorious algorithms, there would be no opportunity to show off yourself and your cat. Or a meerkat. Or a seal. Or simply its charms given by nature. This union of creators and platforms is more than successful. Despite all the criticism, there are more satisfied people.
The other side of the issue is the mythical or not so mythical dependence on the virtual world, which is ready to endlessly feed you content chewing gum. If the conventional Reels doesn’t impress you within a few seconds, it’s a bad video. When you have as many of these as you want, everyone wants to evoke emotions immediately and quickly. The competition is unreal. Everyone wants attention and is ready to go to any lengths to get it.
There are also unpleasant things in this topic that are not customary to talk about. For example, if you have the opportunity to be stuck on TikTok for hours, then, apparently, you are provided with the rest. People who exist on the brink of survival are forced to work rather than scroll through an endless feed. Or the question of personal responsibility: “Oh, I can’t, I’m getting carried away” - some kind of completely childish position.
A separate point can be made about hypocrisy in relation to the market: we need artificial intelligence, so we will regulate it differently. Moreover, approximately all models are configured specifically for involvement. Whatever you ask, you will receive an additional question: “What do you think about this?” And you are imperceptibly drawn into a dialogue with a virtual machine, which, due to its design, can be worse than any Reels. But no, no one raises questions about this, although there are no less social problems there. The generation of “tender flowers” perceives AI as a real interlocutor, with all the ensuing consequences.
As a result, it turns out that social networks are to blame for all the endless troubles of the European Union. And if you follow the traditional bureaucratic path - ban, fine, regulate - then this, officials think, will solve all the problems. The argumentation is traditionally naive, because this is, as always, the “best” way. However, it's not that simple.
Europe also wants leadership in the IT field, but not everyone can remember popular projects born and existing in the European Union, which is again not least a matter of legislation.
Endless bureaucracy, a lot of restrictions on creating virtual projects, the notorious GDPR, after all. All this, to put it mildly, does not contribute to the emergence of high-profile startups.
There is a feeling that millions of dollars in fines for market leaders is just a way to replenish the coffers and not take any responsibility. The alternative is to create “sandboxes,” areas where regulators deliberately do not include existing tools and allow the creation of companies operating in an area that the law has not yet reached. This is what the UK did with cryptocurrencies, and the result is obvious - dozens of “unicorns”. Europe is far from this.
And the conditional Meta will eventually get out. After all, regional differences in functionality are nothing new (see China). And if suddenly the fines exceed advertising revenues, it is quite possible to follow the lead of European officials and reduce the functionality. Come from the USA - an endless feed. Log in from Europe - everything is the same as in the past: in chronological order, poke the screen to go to another video.
The result is a growing digital divide. By the way, the first takeoff of VPN was not bypassing blocking, but access to Hulu and other video services that allow you to watch all the latest film productions from the United States.
But then it gets worse. As practice has shown, changing the region is for the elite, a lot of technical inconveniences are for the most persistent. As a result, entire regions will suffer under the guise of caring for children. All major features will be available only to US residents.
The bottom line is the Internet space, disfigured by local legislation. This is not allowed here, it is forbidden for children here, open the algorithms here - and so on. At the same time, a holy place is never empty, and somewhere in parallel there will exist, if not anarchy, then a completely free space for the creation of innovative products.
What happens: if you want to receive new products and benefit from progress, use the American infrastructure, there are cryptocurrency laws for you, and no pressure on algorithms (especially if you share a stake with the current administration, as OpenAI did). Ready to endure millions of restrictions - welcome to Europe. It doesn't matter whether you are a user or a creator. If you want to do something new, it is logical to do it in a jurisdiction that poses fewer barriers.
Those who are tired of these endless videos and feeds that are formed according to unclear rules will be glad: a little more, and you will be returned to the past.
With buttons, with sections that form your flow clearly and chronologically. The friends who post “stupid” content will come back, not the cats you seem to really love. The same interface that today already seems prehistoric will return. You will voluntarily return back, enjoying the now archaic functionality. A holiday has arrived on your street.
But a year, two or three will pass. It will become noticeable how neighboring countries with more liberal legislation earn more money, how high-profile startups take off, and how enthusiasts strive to change the region to try a new function. Then, looking at the children, it will be obvious that the restrictions did not help. And you will want to “let go of the reins” and finally give freedom to the Internet. But the train has already left. You are completely behind the times. Everything has its price. Even abandoning the algorithms that everyone is so tired of.