S E2: An Xiao Mina Thinks the Internet Will Split in Two, Then Go To War With Itself

By the year 2038, there will be two internets — one controlled by the U.S., and one by China. Technologist An Xiao Mina predicts that in 20 years, America's internet will be hyperpartisan and stratified along race, gender, and class lines, while China's will be tranquil and free of abuse — because the state tightly controls speech. Nonaligned internets, each with their own digital cultures, will emerge in Singapore, Ghana, and Brazil, as the world's two superpowers fight over precious undersea cabling and mineral resources with informational warfare and remote infrastructure hacks. An is the author of Memes to Movements. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices