Read Write Own: Building the Next Era of the Internet

Chris Dixon

Cover of Read Write Own: Building the Next Era of the Internet

A potent exploration of the power of blockchains to reshape the future of the internet—and how that affects us all—from influential technology entrepreneur and startup investor Chris Dixon The internet of today is a far cry from its early promise of a decentralized, democratic network of innovation, connection, and freedom. In the past decade, it has fallen almost entirely under the control of a very small group of companies like Apple, Google, and Facebook. In Read Write Own, tech visionary Chris Dixon argues that the dream of an open network for fostering creativity and entrepreneurship doesn’t have to die and can, in fact, be saved with blockchain networks. He separates this movement, which aims to provide a solid foundation for everything from social networks to artificial intelligence to virtual worlds, from cryptocurrency speculation —a distinction he calls “the computer vs. the casino.”   With lucid and compelling prose— drawing from a 25-year career in the software industry—Dixon shows how the internet has undergone three distinct eras, bringing us to the critical moment we’re in today. The first was the “read” era, in which early networks democratized information. In the “read-write” era, corporate networks democratized publishing. We are now in the midst of the “read-write-own” era, sometimes called web3, in which blockchain networks are granting power and economic benefits to communities of users, not just corporations.   Read Write Own is a must-read for anyone—internet users, business leaders, creators, entrepreneurs—who wants to understand where we’ve been and where we’re going. It provides a vision for a better internet and a playbook to navigate and build the future.

Author
Chris Dixon
Edition published
January 30, 2024
Publication year
2024
Goodreads rating
3.93/5 from 2,283 ratings and 288 reviews
Purchased
February 5, 2024 · print
Publisher
Random House
Edition
Hardcover · 320 pages
Language
English
Genres
Business, Technology, Nonfiction, Science, Economics, History, Internet, Entrepreneurship, Computer Science, Solarpunk
ISBN
9780593731383
Added
February 5, 2024
Times read
1
Owned copies
1
Goodreads
Book record