The two themes of the title may not seem like they would go together, but they do. Within my own mind, there is a strong connection, and I’ll attempt to articulate here for posterity, as well as a wonky explanation and prediction for 2023 and beyond.
First, some generic definitions as a starting point:
A protocol is a set of rules and guidelines for communicating data. Rules are defined for each step and process during communication between two or more computers. Networks have to follow these rules to successfully transmit data.
Domestication is a sustained multi-generational relationship in which humans assume a significant degree of control over the reproduction and care of another group of organisms to secure a more predictable supply of resources from that group.
The above definition for “protocol” pertains towards the technical application in the computing realm, but it can be applied to daily habits and patterns of behavior, governing and decision-making within a community/organization, etc. etc. The relentless debate over the fate of Twitter is an excellent example towards re-evaluating existing protocols; how should Twitter be run? Who programs the algorithms? Should we even be letting algorithms dictate our attention and access to data?
Domestication is a normalized concept for establishing behavioral control that has led to greater efficiency for raising food and creating stable living conditions. If we zoom out from our classical manifest-destiny perspective towards civilization, it might seem that the vast majority of us humans living in today’s society are being domesticated … the question would then be, is it other humans doing the domesticating? Or another species altogether? Some days, it’s really hard to tell.
Several years of raising chickens had given me a false impression of anthropocentrism1, which was rapidly turned upside down through the journey of raising a puppy. It became an endless philosophical parade of re-examining our relationship with other animals; how can one control the behavior of another animal ethically? What should be the limits for demanding behavioral conformity? What behavioral conditioning is mutually beneficial and which ones are inexplicably skewed in favor of the human?
All these questions tend to snowball once the stream of thought starts rolling, and the contemplation around domestication has left me with the undeniable impression that intentional behavioral conditioning practices have been impacting humans in all regions across the world. The penultimate question approaching = how much of this is coordinated?
2022 might be the first full year of “the new normal”. I hate that term. But, it’s a begrudging recognition that there has been a hard fork in our collective reality, where mainstream/establishment channels have settled into a new societal paradigm. It appears that the world is factioning into these various bifurcated realities (/“echo chambers”) and it appears these factions are each attempting to rule in the ongoing Information War of the 21st century.
The most urgent issue on the horizon, from this perspective of mine at the end of 2022, is Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) being instituted on a global scale. If successfully rolled out and accepted by the public, this would be the totalitarian’s wet dream for global control, utilizing both carefully constructed protocols and time-tested domestication practices.
Predictions for the coming year(s):
More CBDC pilot programs are initiated around the world, including the U.S. I can foresee the CBDC currency being introduced as the de facto system for military and federal employees first (and perhaps major corporations opting in as well), with operability within the existing financial system (via debit/credit card systems). Alternate/Parallel economies will spring up, with wildly varying levels of success.
The value of the U.S. Dollar (FIAT system) will erode as runaway inflation becomes the norm. The value of the new Central Bank currency will initially be pegged to the existing FIAT dollar, but once open to the public at large, will be carefully maintained at a value greater than the ever-degrading-yet-still-existing FIAT dollar. This will incentivize most people to sign into the CBDC system (which will of course have other strings attached) and “cash” will eventually be phased out or abandoned all together. UBI and digital stipends will be the main attraction for those in middle and lower economic classes who are crippled by runaway inflation.
AI programs like ChatGPT will become increasingly utilized in all sectors, particularly to act as “fact-checkers” and moderators. This will be the significant fork towards a 1984-style police state, as algorithmic programming will be the ultimate mediator and arbiter of truth. Keeping everything open source and publicly viewable & verifiable is essential for pivoting away from this 1984-style trajectory. (I gotta force myself to be optimistic enough to call this 50-50 odds.)
Mass surveillance programs will be introduced into legislation on a federal level, and while they may not succeed into becoming established law at first, it will no longer be a covert objective; rather, the notion of a Big Brother-type nation state will be inserted more and more into media and entertainment as a way of providing safety and security to it’s citizens. Compliance will be the theme of contention for the year 2023, as the establishment/Borg/mainstream attempts to assimilate the maximum number of people from the public, while outkasting2 any dissidents. Novel methods to counter these surveillance efforts will be critical for self-preservation.
“Natural disasters” will increase, partially through the flux of extreme atmospheric weather patterns, but largely as a downstream consequence of overdevelopment in regions not suitable for human habitation and settlement. Human activity (emissions) may be influencing this increase in extreme weather conditions to some extent, but oi will the media coverage convince you that it is all our fault. And we can fix everything by doing some very advanced (but safe and effective) interventions such as blocking out the sun with sulfur. Maybe not that one, but don’t worry - whatever the mandated solution is, it will be guaranteed to work. All that’s needed is your unconditional compliance. (That’s the rough pitch, fused with snark.)
Water rights and control over proprietary water purifying technologies might become the most contested resource as the decade(s) progress(es).
These predictions run along several prominent themes of public discourse for 2022, and cause the most alarm for myself when trying to imagine the hazards of the future; CBDCs, surveillance, and artificial intelligence are not just on the horizon, but knocking on the front door, and might be the make-or-break conflict for the present generation in regards to future human autonomy. If global control is achieved under a centralized authority, everything under the umbrella of “the commons” will be under threat of possible seizure / regulation, and cultivating our own futures based on our own intentions will be next to impossible.
So, what are some solutions?
De-centralization has been the hot topic of 2022 (really for the last several years) and it is indeed a key tool to employ. However, I feel that most people (well over 50%) either have no interest or are not currently capable of embracing this foreign philosophy and paradigm shift.
This is where domestication comes in = whatever entity “they” is (the elite class dwelling in another echelon), those who influence the overall growth of globalism and flow of societal evolution, has done a profoundly successfully job of conditioning most humans to seek comfort and safety over self-growth and autonomy. Struggle is a key part of growth, as well as conflict resolution, and both of those things have largely been outsourced in order to foster the maximum level of comfort & whilst maximizing profits and efficiency.
With that said, I have to accept that most people can’t be convinced to see the current fork in the road. I predict that many will be enticed to #StayCentralized (the real propaganda hashtag will be more like #StayUnited or some out-of-touch shit like that) and energy spent trying to show those folk the alternatives might well be an act of futility. Which isn’t to say it shouldn’t be tried - just important to pick those ‘battles’ wisely.
Thus, my focus in the next year will be pivoting towards the technology I think we can still retain control over, and presently, blockchain and similar burgeoning technologies offer the most potential.
The most valuable skillset I see stemming from learning about these tools is that smart contract auditing is likely going to be the “lawyer” of the future, and I’d like to be able to comprehend the architecture and coding behind these new systems, be it benevolent or malevolent. But beyond that, economics control our lives, and it seems inevitable that every monetary system (beyond basic local economies) will need to be digital.
BitCoin has been infused with billions from institutional investors, and stands a decent chance of becoming the de facto global reserve currency (digital) once the U.S. dollar finally collapses. Similar to how gold once worked, it will largely be held by the wealthy, but anyone can partake = there is no entry barrier. That is critical.
Ethereum and all the other various tokens and chains implicate a battleground on the horizon for who will rein supreme in this new metaverse-fueled digital economy. But there are new chains and tokens being created everyday, and the potential that I see is customized blockchains popping up on a more localized level, immune from tampering and control from the centralized authorities. Of the global blockchains being developed, I like the NEAR ecosystem, which is still relatively new, and I see a lot of potential in SubStrate / Polkadot and other cross chain aspirations. But even ignoring all the “shitcoins” (which is 90+ %) there are so many other interesting projects and blockchain platforms being developed. I’m excited to see where all this goes.
Despite the bleak subject matter in this post, I am remarkably optimistic about our trajectory. I will even give 50-50 odds to coming out of this escalating struggle unbounded by digital shackles; it depends on so many factors, but I really hope to see a world being built on consent. As humans and computers hybridize, I’d like to see it done on a very voluntary basis, with mutual respect towards all lifestyles (analog ← → digital) and biotechnology integration … essentially, do what you like, but never force it on anyone else.
Maintaining connections in a fractured world might be the real theme and/or challenge for 2023. I’m going to cautiously root for that one as a unifying motive to catalyze an accelerated push towards decentralization.
i learned a new word! i may not be able to confidently pronounce it, but i will now know it when i see it.
when considering opportunities for establishing financial security, it’s very important to remember that roses really smell like poo-poo-ooh.
Another great blog! Gee, it’s refreshing to read your writing after a long day at work slinging cokes while thirsting to engage in anything other than small talk! Thank you! I was feeling a bit hopeless!
I once heard someone say that we should reconsider referring to corporate entities, family dynasties, oligarchs, the 1%, etc. as elites because it places these entities and beings above us, the etymology of the word isn’t an exact description of these nefarious self-interested beings, and the word isn’t specific enough in identifying the “they” we are referring to when shit is poppin’ off.
I think I understood what this person was saying and now when I use the term they, I try to immediately follow up with the specific group or entity I’m referencing and then remove elite from that specification. The person who proposed the not using the word elite went on to say that “they” have names and the more often we can use those names, the more tangible the information. Some of my go to’s for they are the names of the families with the most assets in the world as well as companies who own a substantial portion of the business world.
I was happy to see that you identified your they. I do appreciate that you used the words, “another echelon” rather than “upper echelon” because whatever this group values often drives them to operate in the grimiest, lowliest manner to accomplish their goals. There’s nothing upper about them that would substantiate a lower aspect of myself or any other human.
Once again, thanks for a good read! I want to be optimistic as well so I have been staying away from these “prediction” blogs because the dreariness of it all is getting to me. I’ve literally been watching hours of YouTube videos of humans being kind to each other just to remind me that our humanity will prevail. Sigh…I want that to be the only prediction for this new year.
this is the battle.