Tower of Babel and the Internet

Post Fact era has got me thinking about the internet. The internet, at its core, has the potential for universal communication- and that was how it was marketed when it first arose. The internet would bring people together, allow us all to reach each other and meet common ground through this online platform. And it has, in many ways. But, as we have seen now with all the propaganda and fake news, it has as much of a potential to convolute communication and separate people. We are all talking, but no one is understanding, or discussing the same thing.

This reminded me of the Tower of Babel story- after the Great Flood, humans were unified, speaking one language, and wished to live in the heavens by building this tower. As a lesson in humility, God scatters the people and changes their languages. Something similar has happened with the internet- it began as an open source potential for growth and evolution, and then things became convoluted and no one can bridge the gaps. Sub-reddits are a prime example of this- a area designated for specific language involving one specific thing. It does not appeal to everyone, and cannot be understood by everyone.

"Babel" itself is a link to the Hebrew word balal- to confound or confuse. And, primarily, the internet is a confusing place.

How do we foster communication and understanding? Why do we seem to inherently misunderstand each other? Can we salvage the platform of the internet?