’We must reclaim the internet, before it is too late’

Geert Lovink (© Bob Bronshoff) - Interview with Geert Lovink on his new book We need to reclaim the internet from big tech companies like Facebook, Google and Amazon, says Geert Lovink, professor of Art and Network Cultures (UvA and AUAS). In his new book, 'Stuck on the Platform', he explains how this is possible. 'We need alternative platforms that serve society instead of listed companies.' The internet started out so innocently in the 1990s, as an open space offering the free and unimpeded exchange of ideas, opinions, and even goods. Until massive internet companies such as Facebook, Amazon and Twitter took control of the ideal. Now these platforms have not only taken users hostage, but society as a whole as well. That is why we need to reclaim this public domain from big tech. This, in a nutshell, is the message put forward the new book by Geert Lovink.