this post was submitted on 20 Jan 2025
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It was actually more that early computers had such limitations on compute and memory that they had to limit what they could work with. The internet is still built from the ground-up on tech from 40-50 years ago.
It can appear and act as cultural imperialism, but there's actually a lot of evidence that it was just people making a new thing and not thinking that far forward with what they were doing.
Usually cultural imperialism is considered something a society does on purpose to force other societies into their mold. There is plenty of evidence this one is honestly purely accidental and not purposeful.
I mean, I don't blame the creators. They didn't know how these things could affect others nor know their standards would last so long.
But the US and other Western powers became the tech powerhouses they did through imperialism and exploitation, so really these things can be viewed as an extension of that imperialism.
Intentional? Perhaps not. But it's still reality that it makes things harder for much of the world, and it's something that should be pushed back against.
Abso-lutely.