THE INTERNET IS DEAD

Original Artwork by the Bean (not the greatest artist at ALL)

Alright, it's not dead yet. But it's going to be. Firstly, credit goes to my friend T.X. Watson for introducing me to this problem.

Secondly, I'm here to talk to you today about a warm topic that needs to get red hot real fast called network neutrality, or net neutrality.

This is about the internet, a place that we all know and love. We use it for news, we use it for entertainment, and we use it for activism (or at least that's what I use it for), and it has tons of other uses that I'm sure I can't even fathom.

I want you to stop and think about how much time you spend on the internet a day and how much it has been integrated into your life. You dig it, right? It's convenient, it's reasonably fast, and it helps you get stuff done.

Now, imagine one day you go on the internet and turn on Facebook. Everything seems normal. You do a quick Google search for an actor whose name you can't remember. Results show up fine. But then you click a link to an independent site with more info on the actor, a small celeb blog that you check out from time to time.

The screen is white, you can see your tabs at the top. Facebook still works when you click on it. Google is running just fine. But this independent domain won't load. What's up?

Corporate tea-bagging is what's up. If net neutrality becomes no longer a thing, as decided by the FCC, major internet/cable providers can decide what sites load quickly and what sites don't, the internet will become mainstreamed.

All the streaming sites you use, Hulu or Netflix, will increase in price because they'll have to pay money in order to ensure fast loading of their services. Small watchdogs sites who report on these media giants (free-press, etc.) may hardly load at all. 

The end of net neutrality is another nail in the coffin for freedom and democracy in the United States. We'll quite literally only see what corporate America wants us to see, and that, my friends, is a huge freaking problem. 

Get active: sign this petition. And this one. Oh and this one. Aaand this one.

Also, for net neutrality 101, check out this link to FreePress