Starting Somewhere

Nicholas Cameron

15 Feb 2025 — 2 min read

All things must start somewhere. Welcome to Electric Avenues.

Our world has gone through a revolution in the last three decades. Whether you want to manage your finances or chat with friends you are, more likely than not, doing so through a digital interface. The physical world is still outside our windows, but it is increasingly filtered through a myriad of electric sieves.

This has many benefits. Friends and family can easily keep in contact across continents. Niche communities can form which may not have been possible before. And many, many things are far more convenient than we could have ever imagined.

But this technology is not controlled by organizations with the public good in mind. Though the early internet was built by pioneers with beautiful dreams, its modern form is a series of platforms controlled by corporate interests seeking sky high profits. The most cartoonish example of this shift is Google removing their motto "don't be evil" as it became increasingly difficult to generate profit within those bounds.

This has had a profound impact on the world. Politics have become increasingly polarized, conspiracy theories are experiencing a catastrophic resurgence, protests have become less effective, in-person gatherings are less frequent, and our mental health is suffering.

Meanwhile the lords of this digital landscape only grow more powerful. As of this writing:

The top 4 richest people on the planet are tech CEO's.
Elon Musk, the owner of X, seems to be the unofficial co-President of the United States.
The 6 most valuable companies in the world are tech companies.

All signs point to this trend only accelerating, particularly with Silicon Valley's current genAI obsession.

What is Electric Avenues?

The intent of this site is not just to highlight these trends, but to discuss how we might manage living in this era. How can we maximize the benefits of these technologies while minimizing their harm? How can we counter the influence of the tech oligarchs? How can we live happier, more fulfilling lives?

I have become increasingly convinced over the last year that our governments are wholly uninterested in these conversations as long as there is so much money to be made. Our only remaining option is through social movements, of which I hope to be one small part.

As such, we will discuss concrete steps we can all take to improve our lives and communities, and we will discuss how adopting those steps have impacted our lives.

Who will write for Electric Avenues?

For now that will be me, Nicholas Cameron. I've been working professionally as a game designer since 2018. I have some level of expertise in the internet landscape, but I am certainly not an academic source. However, I hope my writing will speak for itself.

In future, guest writers may join as well!