Infrastructure is Politics
We often think of the internet as a cloud—ethereal and free. The Political Economy of Ground reveals it as dirt, metal, and cables owned by specific entities. He who owns the servers makes the rules.
The Three Ownership Models
- Corporate Ownership (The Status Quo): Private companies (Amazon, Google) own the infrastructure. Efficiency is high, but they extract value and can evict users at will.
- State Ownership: Governments own the pipes. Accountability is theoretically higher, but censorship and surveillance are rampant (e.g., China's Great Firewall).
- Commons Ownership: Users collectively own the infrastructure (Cooperatives, DAOs). Incentives are aligned, but coordination is difficult and funding is scarce.
The Case for Pluralism
Archaeobytology argues that no single model should dominate. We need Pluralism: a mix of state, corporate, and commons infrastructure to ensure that if one layer fails or turns hostile, others remain.
Field Notes
The "Moat" Fallacy: Tech companies build "moats" (lock-in) to protect their profits. Political Economy reveals these moats as prison walls. The goal of the Archaeobytologist is to build bridges over them.