So many things we hoped the internet would do for society have backfired. “Conversation in this new American public sphere is governed not by established customs and traditions in service of democracy but by rules set by a few for-profit companies in service of their needs and revenues. Instead of the procedural regulations that guide a real-life town meeting, conversation is ruled by algorithms that are designed to capture attention, harvest data, and sell advertising. The voices of the angriest, most emotional, most divisive—and often the most duplicitous—participants are amplified. Reasonable, rational, and nuanced voices are much harder to hear; radicalization spreads quickly. Americans feel powerless because they are. In this new wilderness, democracy is becoming impossible.” But we can rebuild it. We can make it better that it was. Anne Applebaum and Peter Pomerantsev in The Atlantic: How to Put Out Democracy’s Dumpster Fire. “Our democratic habits have been killed off by an internet kleptocracy that profits from disinformation, polarization, and rage. Here’s how to fix that.” (Also, maybe stop having up those newsletter signup forms pop up before I even know what your site sells or does…)