Read Write Own, decentralised relationships between creators and consumers, ownership democratisation and the future of shopping.
The decentralised way we consume information today gives us some key insights into the disintermediation of shopping and customer relationships
Will decentralisation and channel ownership kill "push shopping" in the same way that it has killed traditional PR and mainstream media outlets?
On the flight back to the UK I enjoyed Carlos Otermin’s interview on Kapital’s podcast around decentrasalisation, edge technologies, power asymmetries, NFTs and digital commerce, etc.. (thanks Jordiob for the link).
It made me think how I personally learn new stuff, access news and knowledge nowadays.
Don’t you guys rely more and more on experts and their own individual channels?
I follow a bunch of you folks in your substack, linkedin in or twitter channels.
There’s the “mainstream” sources of inspiration (ie. Lex Friedman, Steve Barlett..) and then our niche and growing community in the space of privacy, digital trust, ethical AI ….. Sergio Maldonado, Carissa Veliz, Jamie Smith, María del Mar Fernández, Jimena Almendares, António López, Fernando Polo, Javier G. Recuenco, Jose Carlos Cortizo Perez (Corti), MMitchell, Rumman Chowdhury, Maria Luciana Axente, Diana Spehar, … to name a handful.
Why don’t we go to traditional media outlets any longer? In my case is due to lack of trust.
Today, I choose “data” curators based on trust.
I follow voices who are credible and authentic, who inspire and influence my thinking.
Traditional PR is Dead, but that’s a story for another day. ;)
This is precisely why I decided to run my weekly jam on Trustworthy AI here at Walk in the Park. To become a channel and grow a community of shared minds.
As Chris Dixon puts it, welcome to the thrid era of the internet: Read Write Own.
From the “Read era”, when access to information was democratised, to “Read Write”, when publishing was available to anyone via SM etc to today’s democratisation of ownership or decentralisation, “Read Write Own” aka Web 3.
Now, how will this new movement of Read Write Own and blockchain change they way we relate to retailers and brands?
As a consumer, rather than following brands directly, I’d like to follow people I admire and trust in their own domain: travel, food, fashion, architecture, gadgets, sports…
As fragmented as shopping is today, I’d love to have all my purchases in a single space in my own device. A safe place where I could invite my trusted nutrionist to do the next shopping cart for me, run my personal AI trainer to design a fitness plan, an AI agent to help me save money, or discover the best local restaurant opened.
All of that without being exposed to all ad networks and raffled as cattle.
I don't want future generations to walk naked in the internet.
Similarly, as a retailer or brand I’d love to be liberated from the abuse of “network controllers” and build direct relationships with curators / customers alike. Not only to stop paying disproportionate taxes to Meta, Amazon, Google but also to get to know a lot better, without intermediaries, what my customers want in their own words rather than by 3rd party intent trackers that dont reflect who we are and what we want.
Do you also imagine the future of shopping decentralised and disintermediated?