Aloof and decentralization are opposite sides of the same coin
As are group think and centralization
I recently changed this substack’s name to “LooFWIRED,” and I discussed in the announcement post that it’s all about being wired for aloofness.
As I have argued over the last three years, being aloof is crucial in potentially avoiding collective hysteria.
But it’s also just another way to talk about decentralization (and DecentralizatioNWIRED seemed less catchy), something I also have talked about repeatedly, such as below, just to pick one arbitrarily.
The connection between being aloof and decentralization is simply that if you’re less aloof, then you act less independently, and that amounts to making the network effectively less decentralized. That is to say, if you’re more prone to thinking like those around you, the network becomes more centralized in effect, and, in the limit, might as well just be centrally controlled.
Much of what we must do to ensure freedom and free expression is keeping the powers of decentralized networks functioning as they should, and that requires that each of us be aloof, and thus more able to contribute as independently as we each can to the network as a whole making its “decisions.”
Being wired for aloofness is thus one key piece in having a society wired for freedom.