Dear readers,

it’s 2017 but despite that 750 million people worldwide are still lacking skills in literacy, according to the UN. Literacy is defined as not only reading, writing and counting skills, but to put those in a particular context too.

Today, regarding digital technologies and their emerging use and markets, it’s not only important to know how to use new forms of technology but also know how these can be used to empower people, make them more self-confident and not feel excluded.

Let’s take the bad year 2016 with the Brexit, the Trump presidency in the US as well as the rise of racist and far right parties (as of the elections 2017 unfortunately also reality in Germany) as negative examples what may happen, if people don’t know how to use technology to empower and free themselves, but are in fact used and consumed by dubious centralised companies like e.g. Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and Twitter to be enslaved.

As a literate individual, ask yourself: “what am I able to do here to change this?”

Well, the first thing you have to understand, if you won’t do it, it’ll be done for you. If you are not in control, get this control back!

Secondly, by doing nothing, nothing will get better.

Thirdly, we can be glad that we don’t lack technology, the future is in fact today!

Fourthly, use this technology for change, to empower you and your loved ones, not to empower others and also not for free!

If you now start setting up your own blog, write your first app or decide to start an own Diaspora* pod, these lines did the trick! Walk on, never stop, do your thing!

For all the others needing help, let it be known: AETHYX MEDIAE is here for your help!

Setting up our first weblog in 2001, starting from there, we became an independent online publishing house in 2010 specialised in creating and maintaining weblogs, Android apps, Ebook publishing and personal cloud space! All done by one human most of the time, sometimes by three people maximum! AETHYX MEDIAE should be one of the best examples what’s possible today and also, what it means to live in these marvelous technological times.

Of course, technology can also be used to improve the lives of the aforementioned 750 million illiterate people. But they need help for this. Help by 7 billion literate people. But if even 7 billion don’t use technology right, humanity will be doomed as a whole. Let the years 2016 and 2017 be a hard reminder that nothing comes for free and that it’s more important than ever to know how to use technology for freedom and empowerment and that it’s also important to fight hard for this.

AETHYX MEDIAE & the aethyx staff,
autumn 2017