cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/43439862
Modern oligarchs like Musk, Bezos, Gates, and Zuckerberg are exactly like medieval lords. The top 1% controls all resources, and it is almost impossible to buy an apartment today. We own nothing and just pay rent or subscribe to their platforms. These billionaires have total power to fire thousands of workers anytime and buy politicians for their own interest. They say they work for humanity, but it is just fake marketing. For example, they are silent on wars in Palestine and Ukraine. Majority of ordinary people and developers are too naive. They believe these lies and fail to see the real system
Feudalism involved swearing loyalty to a lord, usually for life. And it seems that you could not have multiple lords. Our situation is one of complete freedom, where you can leave the platforms anytime, as well as use multiple in parallel and distribute your time using them however you want. So if e.g you feel bound to the popular platforms because of followers, you can use the smaller platforms in parallel, allowing them to grow, so nothing changes other than involving a little more effort. As more people do this, the network effect equalizes. So it’s easy to do, and it solves the problem, yet it doesn’t even cross the minds of most, including of these „thinkers“. Why is that? It seems that everyone operates on the assumption that the masses don’t have free will, or are very stupid, at least.
You totally could have multiple Lords, that was nothing out of the ordinary.
Feudalism was a not some kind of top down system, it was a net woven out of relationships people negotiated all the time.
For example Enguerrand VII https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enguerrand_VII_de_Coucy
He was a vassal to the French and the English king at the same time, so the fun really begins when both are at war with another.
If feudalism is a cool network where everyone can freely choose at any time who they want to partner with, what are the „technofeudalism“ authors worried about?
I just pointed out that it was more complicated than King + Church at the top and everyone else down the line. I wanted to be neutral here.