Remember when you were younger, and you really felt like your parents were just being unreasonable — they wouldn’t get off your back. Ever heard the term “helicopter parents?”
Well the internet can be the same way… The internet was once basically a collection of ‘walled gardens’ . But as of recently, the internet is now being replaced with open ecosystems, involving the long tail effect. But there is still A LOT of walled gardens on the internet.
For example; Private event groups on the internet. There is someone who created the event, someone who is hosting the event, and invitees. A clear hierarchy. And obviously the information within the group can not be seen by people outside the group.
The same can be explained for Microsoft, Adobe applications, or other such things.
Walled Gardens exist because the creator was control over the information. They are made up of;
- Control over information — The owner/creator has full ownership of the product/information. Licensing fees could apply.
- Surveillance of information flows — The garden owner controls how the content is used.
- Censorship of undesirable information — Copyright laws could be used.
Of course, these gardens would be very centralised. But it depends on how the owner/s run the garden. For example, someone who has access to the content, may be able to make or suggest changes to the garden’s content. In which case this would make it a little more decentralised.
Lilli Hessenberger 