The Great Migration

As big tech continues to advance their own agenda, and disregard the will of the people, more and more users will have a clear incentive to migrate to open-source platforms. Companies like Facebook, Twitter, Google and YouTube are all starting to become obsolete, as more and more people realize the open-source model is far more sustainable. We should expect to see an increase in positive innovation, efforts to maintain freedom of speech, and our right to privacy as more people migrate.

Many of the people who have been censored and/or demonetized will be the first to seek out alternative platforms. Yet, there are still plenty of people who have not realized the value of open-source. We are in a unique time where the ego of big tech presents an awesome opportunity for an evolution of the internet.

The Challenge of Change

One of the keys to advancing #TheGreatMigration is simply to educate. Based upon my own experience, most people who “don't care about open-source” simply don't understand the reasons why they should. With big tech companies offering many convenient tools over a long period of time, moving away from what’s comfortable could be why people feel resistant to change. It also may be that people have a vague understanding of the concept, seeing it as just another “tech term.” Regardless of why people don’t understand, there are plenty of reasons why they should.

To understand the value of open-source, it helps to see it as a model for transparency and innovation. Every program that you use, be it a piece of software you install or a web-based application, has a source code. Big tech tends to keep their code hidden; this is to ensure that all you see is the part of the program that they want you to see. When something is open-source the source code is publicly available for anyone to use and/or review.

An Open-Source World

The potentials of a global majority using open-source has been a dream I’ve had ever since I learned about the concept years ago. Immersing yourself in the thinking of what open-source means is really what it takes to imagine all the endless possibilities.

There are so many reasons why open-source can bring a much needed balance to global politics and international relations. As the software we use evolves, so too will the hardware. This can lead to a level of decentralization the world has never known. In some ways it could completely rewrite global economics, but the beautiful thing is that in an open-source economy, all the power would belong to the people. I personally cannot imagine a more graceful way to shift the status quo.

Leading the Way

It may be true that we have a ways to go, but we are the pioneers of tomorrow's reality. We are the ones who envision what we want to see in the world, and we can engage with each other in a collaborative effort to manifest our dreams. Ultimately the speed at which this shift occurs is completely and totally up to us. We are all leaders of this great migration, where the tools we use empower us to make the changes this world so desperately needs.