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. (Verlagstext)
Contents:
Introduction xiii
Part One: Read. Write.
1. Why Networks Matter 3
2. Protocol Networks 8
- A Brief History of Protocol Networks 8
- The Benefits of Protocol Networks 17
- The Fall of RSS 21
3. Corporate Networks 27
- Skeuomorphic and Native Technologies 27
- The Rise of Corporate Networks 30
- The Problem with Corporate Networks: The Attract-Extract Cycle 34
Part Two: Own.
4. Blockchains 49
- Why Computers Are Special: The Platform-App Feedback Loop 49
- Two Paths to Adoption: "Inside Out" versus "Outside In" 52
- Blockchains Are a New Kind of Computer 55
- How Blockchains Work 56
- Why Blockchains Matter 66
5. Tokens 70
- Single-Player and Multiplayer Technologies 70
- Tokens Represent Ownership 72
- The Uses of Tokens 74
- The Importance of Digital Ownership 79
- The Next Big Thing Starts Out Looking Like a Toy 81
6. Blockchain Networks 86
Part Three: A New Era
7. Community-Created Software 101
- Modding, Remixing, and Open Source 104
- Composability: Software as Lego Bricks 106
- The Cathedral and the Bazaar 110
8. Take Rates 112
- Network Effects Drive Take Rates 113
- Your Take Rate Is My Opportunity 118
- Squeezing the Balloon 122
9. Building Networks with Token Incentives 128
- Incentivizing Software Development 128
- Overcoming the Bootstrap Problem 131
- Tokens Are Self-Marketing 135
- Making Users Owners 137
10. Tokenomics 141
- Faucets and Token Supply 143
- Sinks and Token Demand 144
- Tokens Can Be Valued Using Traditional Financial Methods 147
- Financial Cycles 150
11. Network Governance 154
- The Nonprofit Model 157
- Federated Networks 158
- Protocol Coups 161
- Blockchains as Network Constitutions 164
- Blockchain Governance 164
Part Four: Here and Now
12. The Computer versus the Casino 171
- Regulating Tokens 173
- Ownership and Markets Are Inextricable 177
- Limited Liability Corporations: A Regulatory Success Story 179