This year, we’re asking for speaker applications that focus on Taking Back The Open Web. But what does this really mean?
One thought is that the Open Web is inclusive and encourages fair distribution of ideas with no barrier to entry. It exists in opposition to proprietary systems created by companies for the purposes of lock-in, control of user experience, or requiring payment for entry. In 2010, the New York Times pointed out ways in which these platforms trade fair access to ideas for a better-looking web.
It’s 2018 now, and we’ve seen the impact of opaque, tightly-controlled systems. In “Can We Save the Open Web”, Drupal founder Dries Buytaert asks:
Do we want the experiences of the next billion web users to be defined by open values of transparency and choice, or by the siloed and opaque convenience of the walled-garden giants dominating today?
Most promising to me is that this WordCamp actively, purposely, and contemporaneously quoted Drupal founder Dries Buytaert in their announcement right after he began contemplating POSSE vs. PESOS and other IndieWeb philosophies.
We need a message to the next billion users that can look to for guidance. Like the American Dream, or the digital promise land.
Check it out here: 2018-chicago.publishers.wordcamp.org/2018/05/31/ann…