Digital Platforms at a Crossroads

15.9.2025

In just two decades, a handful of platforms have become the main stage of modern life. Work, conversation, entertainment, commerce - much of it now happens inside privately owned apps.

The internet’s early promise was openness and shared opportunity. Instead, its biggest players have matured into highly centralized systems. This is less about bad actors than about structure.

The Current Reality: Power and Wealth Concentrated

Today’s platforms resemble private jurisdictions:

  • Billions of users yet no formal voice
  • Leaders and investors who set the rules
  • Algorithms and moderation that shape what we see
  • Data, revenue - and the vast majority of internet wealth - concentrated in the hands of a few corporations and their shareholders

Policies and product decisions flow from a small circle, while the communities that generate the value remain without real representation or economic stake.

A New Architecture Is Emerging

Web3 technologies open the door to platforms designed for shared ownership and transparent governance. For the first time, they also make it technically feasible for users themselves to build wealth through the internet, not just on it. These models can offer:

  • User governance: token-based voting on key changes
  • Shared value creation: contributors participate directly in the platform’s financial upside
  • Radical transparency: rules and enforcement open to audit
  • Resilience: decentralized ownership that can’t be flipped like a switch

This isn’t theory - it’s infrastructure for a different kind of internet.

Digital Pluralism Benefits Everyone

The internet is no longer just a web of pages; it is a network of places. Who sets the rules - and who accumulates the wealth - will define the next era of innovation.

More governance models mean more choice. For founders and investors, open systems are not a threat but an opportunity: they expand markets, build trust, and unlock new value.

The aim is to widen the spectrum so that users, creators, and investors alike can thrive - and share in the wealth of a more open, resilient digital economy.