What the Internet has is a speeding problem

Yes, maybe it’s that simple. At least part of it.

What the Internet has is a speeding problem /img/internet-has-speeding-problem.jpg

What do High Frequency Trading and social media have in common? If you ask me, I’d say at least three things:

  1. both are only possible tanks to the existence of the Internet
  2. both create, or at least intensify, huge problems, from what we may call “peak finance” to performance anxiety and socio-political polarization
  3. neither of them has a speed limit

High Frequency Trading is so bulimic that it demands its own, extremely high speed ata links. Social media needs to be instantaneous, to addict people and make money.

So, unchecked, unending need for endlessly increasing speed is one thing that high frequency trading and much of the current variety of social media have in common. And one thing that greatly contributes to the problems they create. So, maybe even the solution, or a part of it, should be the same we already have in cars:

What the Internet has is a speeding problem /img/speed-limiter.jpg

Cars have speed limiters. Maybe High Frequency Trading should be forbidden, and laws about social networks should just force them to be not instantaneous. Same for Amazon, by the way. It would do much less damage if it just became a SLOW standard.

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