The paradox of “globalization” is that although corporations are able to design commercial infrastructures that span geographical and cultural boundaries, as individuals people still tend to coalesce into, and self-identify as part of local or regional communities. So now we have the “balkanization of the Internet,” to swipe a phrase from today’s Wall Street Journal article, “In Threat to Internet’s Clout, Some Are Starting Alternatives” (subscription required).

Whether from a desire to pique the U.S. or to control its citizens, some countries (China, Germany, some Arabic nations) are designing break-away Internets. They are going to have their own urls. It’s going to be like the spawning of the baby bells, only without such a cute name.

This was inevitable, in my opinion. Of course U.S. programmers aren’t going to understand, or precisely serve, the interests of non-English-speaking people.

That said, I also believe that top-down, politically-driven alternative ‘nets are destined to fray, ultimately. So Joe Totalitarian doesn’t like our party, and goes off to play by himself. His guests are still going to peek over the fence at ours, every chance they get. We’ve got the rock-and-roll Internet, the Internet with the little paper umbrellas in the drinks, the Internet where fun little political fisticuffs break out and nobody gets dragged away and disappeared.

Call me an optimist. But I believe that someday, in the not-too-distant future, someone out there is going to make a ton of money designing tools to bridge a bunch of incompatible Internets that somebody else spent a ton of money building. Such is life. Ain’t it grand?

[tags] Internet [/tags]