What's Next for the Internet?

How can we evolve the web for a better future? Has the web become a mature platform -- or are we still in the early days of knowing what it can do and what role it might have in our lives? Just as “social/local/mobile” once did, what are the new trends -- like crypto and blockchain networks and commerce everywhere -- that might converge into new products and experiences?

Chris Dixon (general partner at a16z and co-lead of the a16z crypto fund) discusses all things internet with Jonah Peretti (founder and CEO of BuzzFeed). Their conversation ranges from the early days of the web to the way innovation happens (what Chris calls “outside-in vs inside-out”) to the promise of a community-owned and operated internet, and more.

Together they explore the possibilities that could co-evolve and converge are we enter into the next era of the web, and they share how we might not be quite as far removed from the “wild west days” of the internet as we imagined.

SHOW NOTES
The pioneering spirit of the early internet [5:10]
Predictions about what we can expect from the internet as it continues to evolve [6:31]
Outside-in vs. Inside-out technology adoption patterns [8:11]
Why big innovations often happen outside of regular business hours [9:38]
Why the Internet is a constantly evolving organism [11:33]
Definition and examples of first order and second order effects of the Internet [12:37]
Definition of Fourth and Fifth Estate [14:14]
Discussion on Decentralized networks [15:37]
The possible future of Internet governance [18:30]
Blockchain as an extension of open source [20:11]
A brief history of RSS and the innovations it lead to [22:05]
Chris breaks down the next phase of technological convergence [27:50]
The expansion of transactional media [37:30]

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