“It’s The Internet’s Moment,” Says Reddit Co-founder Alexis “@kn0thing” Ohanian
Most of the time, Alexis Ohanian is a TED-talking, swine-levitating, Colbert-loving, book-writing kind of start-up guy. With the emergence of SOPA and PIPA (here’s an explanation of both proposed bills and their implications), he has also become a digital crusader. In recent weeks, he has been debating issues of accountability, piracy and innovation by any means necessary: television, the blogosphere and under 140 characters.
Weeks of talk has come to a head: At the stroke of midnight, Wikipedia and others will impose 24-hour blackouts on their sites to protest of both bills – reddit will follow suit in a few hours. Google will lend its support by changing it home page.
As the countdown continues, the man who has been at the forefront of this debate offered Elisa Mala some thoughts on dress codes, protests, and what is likely to be remembered as one of the most momentous days in internet history:
What will be on his mind the very moment the sites black-out: “Thrilled. Individuals like me get interviewed, but this is the Internet’s movement.”
On the ripple effect: “What started as an idea that bubbled up on reddit is now having very real repercussions in Washington and across the Internet. I’m hopeful this is just the beginning as more and more Americans realize we can in fact trump lobbyists.”
