The Internet’s Hippie Roots and the Corporate Takeover You Didn’t See Coming

When you think of the Internet, images of social media, streaming, and online shopping probably come to mind. But the story of how this revolutionary technology came to be is far richer and more surprising than most realize.

The Internet began as a government-funded project by DARPA to ensure communication resilience during the Cold War. Yet, it was quickly embraced by 1960s counterculture movements that championed decentralization, freedom, and empowerment.

The Whole Earth Catalog, a publication that celebrated access to tools and knowledge, became a beacon for early digital communities like the WELL. Visionaries demonstrated technologies such as the mouse, hypertext, and collaborative editing, heralding a new era of human-computer interaction.

However, this idealistic vision was complicated by its military origins and later corporate takeover. What began as a communal, open network evolved into a platform dominated by monopolies driven by libertarian ideologies that emphasize market supremacy over democratic governance.

This history is vital to understanding the tensions and contradictions in today’s digital world and why reclaiming the Internet’s original spirit remains a critical challenge.

Sources: Moritz Law Review on techno-libertarianism, Brookings Institution on Silicon Valley politics, The Atlantic on techno-authoritarianism, ResearchGate on Silicon Valley ethos