We’re All (Folk) Programmers

We’re All (Folk) Programmers by Spencer Chang.

In these “good old days,” the Internet felt less like a monolithic skyscraper and more like a series of neighborhoods, each with its distinct vibe. We miss when it was fun.

Like software engineers program by writing code, we are folk programming when we repurpose software, through their given interfaces, to address our problems and desires.

Co-opting technology on niche apps and websites and in group chats with friends also carries the same seed of potential for transformative societal change. Simple (and often seemingly silly) acts of molding environments to better fit personal needs are radical exercises in taking agency over technology in service of the fuzzy “future” we care about. They train us to view technology as something we can actively shape, not just a phenomenon we’re subjected to.

If someone could plant the initial seed for the “Internet Checkpoint” by chance, what would the Internet look like if we were all trying to plant seeds for communal action as we wandered it? How diverse, handmade, and wild might the web be if we worked together to push the bounds of how much we can reshape our everyday technology?

The next time you feel hopeless about the Internet, remember that you have the power to co-opt, repurpose, and reprogram software to tell our stories. And then plant a seed of possibility for the Internet you miss and wish for. It might be our best chance at saving it.