The Decentralized Internet Is a Mirage

Web3 Tech Brief By HackerNoon

This story was originally published on HackerNoon at: https://hackernoon.com/the-decentralized-internet-is-a-mirage.
From network effects to infrastructure costs, discover why the decentralized internet faces insurmountable challenges despite years of promises
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The decentralized internet promises freedom from Big Techs . You control your data, no censorship, equal access for everyone. The reality is, it's technically possible but practically challenging. Running servers costs money, most phones can't handle it and people prefer simple apps that just work. Plus, we naturally stick to platforms where our friends are, which is why Facebook and YouTube stay popular. Even if we decentralize, new power centers would emerge. Without content filters, we'd face more spam and misinformation. Most people don't want to manage crypto wallets or run their own servers, it's just too complicated. We've been discussing this for over a decade with limited progress. The decentralized web might happen but it won't be the perfect solution we imagine. The bottom line: Decentralization is more complex than it appears, but like the moon landing, maybe it just needs the right moment to succeed.