The Button That Could Have Changed the Internet

Twenty-five years ago, on Dec. 3, 1997, the inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee, gave a speech on the early web, its initial development, and his thoughts about the future of the web. Berners-Lee suggested that every browser be equipped with what he called the “Oh, Yeah?” button.  The idea was that we all would start building trust through signed metadata as we moved around the web. In a sense, our normal web browsing would create a gigantic accumulation of crowd-sourced credibility. “When we have this, we will be able to ask the computer not just for information, but why we should believe it,” he said. The “Oh, Yeah?” button, it should be noted, was not truly about verifying information or locating “truth.” Had it come to pass, so many ills that plague the web and social media today—think: “fake news” accusations, disinformation campaigns, and catfishing—could have been addressed from the start. Yet, ultimately, the “Oh, Yeah?” button never got installed on our browsers. The “Oh, Yeah?” button might also have resulted in increased tension and argumentation as the web evolved toward social media. Imagine the anger that would be ignited if you let your crazy uncle know what your browser’s “Oh, Yeah?” button informed you about his latest Facebook conspiracy. In hindsight, we ultimately traded away the “Oh, Yeah?” button for the “Like” button. And that was a huge mistake.

[Michael J. Socolow is an associate professor in the Department of Communication and Journalism at the University of Maine.]