As I've often done over the years, I started my research online. Unfortunately, as is often the case recently, my searches didn't yield the desired results. I found hundreds of posts and reviews focusing on gaming monitors, not to mention the useless sponsored reviews or the far-fetched ones on e-commerce sites. Ultimately, I tried to piece together the information I could find and convinced myself that for a 24-inch screen, FullHD would be sufficient, provided it had a good panel and some eye-strain reduction certification.

The result? I bought a monitor that only partially satisfies me. The quality is good, but the resolution is too low for my habits and expectations. And I'm disappointed in myself and the research I conducted.

This experience led me to mentally retrace the history of my time online, and what I've observed on the internet for many years.

I remember the dawn of my online experience. For providers, the business was about selling network access and the ability to have an online presence, giving people the chance to reach the whole world. Gradually, shops, newspapers, and information sites emerged. Their goal was to sell their services THROUGH the internet, increasing their visibility and market reach.

Suddenly, someone realized that amidst this vast collection of sites and information, advertisements could be placed. All at once, many sites started displaying ad banners that helped both companies gain visibility and site owners earn a little extra. Search engines like Google were efficient and reliable (I still remember how we "techies" welcomed it) and helped people find products and content.

As time went on, ads multiplied, and e-commerce became dominant. The business model shifted to earning ON the internet (through views, ads, selling services, and products online) rather than THROUGH it. The market changed, content consumption changed. We reached a point where browsing without an ad-blocker became frustrating. Every site, even the most innocuous, bombards you with banners, commercials, and ads of all kinds, so intrusive they compromise the browsing experience itself. YouTube shows an ad every few minutes (unless, of course, you pay for Premium), and it's the same everywhere else.

The problem, therefore, stems from this business model. The internet is no longer a means to reach the customer, but a battlefield to "ensnare" them. Cloud services that are easy to get into but impossible to leave, expensive and restrictive SaaS, a total loss of information freedom, a total loss of control of our data.

And today? The internet seems like a modern evolution of "The Game of Life." For those unfamiliar, "The Game of Life" isn't a game in the traditional sense, but a cellular automaton devised by British mathematician John Conway. It consists of a grid of cells that can be "alive" or "dead," evolving through generations based on a few simple rules applied to their neighbors. Despite these simple rules, it can produce incredibly complex and emergent patterns, almost like a simulation of life itself. Similarly, on today's internet, bots, algorithms, AI, and automated systems manage, create, consume, push, evangelize, politicize, and incite, often with unpredictable and far-reaching consequences. The internet is now in everyone's hands, yet it belongs to no one. We no longer possess the tool; the tool (and those who control it) possesses us.

I shared my monitor experience on the Fediverse. Within minutes, dozens of replies poured in with advice and shared experiences. I should have posted before buying, but it's a lesson learned.

The FullHD monitor will go to my office; it'll be efficient and look good on the desk. I'll get another, more suitable one, and chalk this up to experience. Fortunately, there are still ways to interact with real humans. At least for now.

The Fediverse has reached 14 million users. A number certainly far from the billions of users of other "traditional" social networks, but undoubtedly a success. Observing the dynamics of various social networks, I've come to understand that we need a healthy return to more pure, more authentic social networks.

Those who experienced the early days of the social phenomenon will undoubtedly remember how, in the beginning, the spirit was of contact and sharing. Social media was the tool to keep in touch with distant or long-lost friends and relatives (Facebook), or to freely discuss common interests with strangers (Twitter, etc.). The goal was socialization, human contact through the digital medium. An extension of the phone, of the message. The atmosphere was generally positive and relaxed. Perhaps a bit clumsy - we weren't used to such widespread sharing of our opinions - but more genuine.

At a certain point, someone realized that social media could lead to significant advertising revenue. They began studying behaviors and realized that angry people are more likely to return to social networks and interact. Hate breeds hate. Hate breeds addiction. Hate on social media generates addiction to social media.

Algorithms were initially calibrated to push people to discover content related to their passions, generating a positive interest in the medium. Gradually, they began to study how to retain people on the platform. More and more often and everywhere, especially on mobile devices. Mobile apps are designed to collect as much information about us as possible. Thus, hate generates addiction, addiction generates ubiquitous use, ubiquitous use generates endless data collection for platform owners.

Our hate is monetized, also because angry people are more divided and weaker. Divide et impera, a method as old as the world itself.

Unfortunately, no social network is immune to hate because hate is part of everyday life. However, we can choose to have a purer social experience, where content is selected based on our interests and choices, not based on others' economic and political interests.

The Fediverse, although imperfect and perhaps initially more complex for those accustomed to the "guided" experience of traditional social networks, provides tools for something purer, more tangible. It is more linked to the human desire to interact with our peers than to hate and negativity and provides tools to defend against bothersome people.

Congratulations on the milestone, Fediverse!

In the early days of social media, interactions primarily took place between people who knew each other in real life. We acted with kindness and sought to maintain a relationship similar to the one we had in person, knowing that there was a real individual on the other side, belonging to the real world.

As social media evolved, people began to connect with strangers, united only by their use of the same platform or common interests. This phenomenon already existed in pre-social systems like FidoNet and Usenet, but it was mainly limited to industry experts.

Today, for many, social media contacts have become numbers printed on a screen, mere symbols of our social success, our media popularity, and the interest our ideas or actions generate. In this process, we often forget that behind each number (excluding bots) there is a person with their challenges, qualities, and flaws - a person just like us.

We must commit to not reducing others to mere numbers on a screen and remember that each of us carries a set of problems, concerns, joys, and pains.

Social media are tools for communication between people; we need to remember to treat each other as such.