First, what I understand as DAO:
A decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) is an entity in a digital system facilitated by smart contracts. Smart contracts involve digital tools and protocols that help support specific transactions or other contract elements. The "computer program" is transparent, controlled by shareholders and not influenced by a central government. In simple words, its a set of rules agreed by its users, that is written as a computer program, which everyone using the software has to follow. The rules can be changed if enough users agreed to it.
(My question may be irrelevant due to a misunderstanding of how DAO works. If that's the case, please point out where I have misunderstood and how that has lead me to jump to the wrong conclusions.)
1. Big data analytics already exists.Insurance industry is interested in customer's behaviour (are you a safe driver, do you smoke?), shopping industry is interested in your habits too (which promotions are best suited for a teacher with sick mother and two children to care for), or financial system is interested in your financial habits (your preference in payment methods, the volume and frequency of transactions, etc).
2. Blockchain is a way out for service providers/companies to use big data transparently.
3. And cryptocurrencies often come up with an ecosystem that incentivize users to behave properly. They reward you for providing truthful reviews, for being an honest and reliable seller, for honestly verifying transactions, etc.
Say blockchain adoption happens for every industry, with IoT and public infrastructure connected to a system that rates everyone (because each person is involved in at least a few industry/sector). This would create a world where both the physical world and cyber world are monitored.
- Your every action will be watched and rated by at least one ecosystem (when you dine outside, the insurance company will judge your choice of food and how it may affect your health, and a service-related company will judge your interaction with the servers.)
- Cameras all around the cities used to catch jaywalkers can be used to catch people littering, or helping a tourist find their direction, and punish or reward you accordingly.
(Edit: I found a post discussing something similar that is already happening in China https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/black-mirror-and-the-chinese-new-social-credit-system-5026060)I grew up being taught to be nice to people around me, and it was implied that we do it not for the sake of expecting something in return. At least, not immediately (there's talks about karma). The point is that being nice to others is something a good person would do. We do not treat others nicely because that would give use money, service, discounts, or access to some exclusive package. I was given a moral compass and taught to follow it when making decisions in life.
Yes, this sort of "intrinsic" reward ("be nice for nice's sake") is not enough to guide the mass: We see how being somewhat anonymous on the internet has shown that people would troll and hurl insults. And there's the psychology/sociology of being in a mob/group will "deindividualize" a person, i.e. you adopt the emotion of the group you are in.
So maybe there is merit in having an AI omnipresent judge that watches after everyone, a karma that is not based on religion but decided by the masses, complete with a karma record book that is accessible to its participants. That's what a DAO could do right?
On the other hand, I worry that people living in such a world will turn into criminals and savages when they are not watched by the system. If people are accustomed to watching over their shoulders, how civilized will a city maintain itself in a total blackout that shut off the system's eyes and ears for an hour? I am assuming 2 things here: People feel they cannot do everything they would like to do; and People will not grow to fit into the social rules/norms they are living with.
If you have played any games - video games or tabletop RPG - you will recall how your decisions are by-and-large affected by the desire to get better scores or better items? And what happen when we developed our physical infrastructure well enough to the point where this omnipresent rating system can operate indefinitely? We would live in a "gamified" reality.
Or should I not even worry about this?
Will a moral compass no longer be necessary?After writing this post, I thought of another possibility of how the future people can organize themselves. Multiple groups of semi-independent communities that have their own rules and rating systems enforced by DAO, and you choose where you want to go. Maybe something like a theme park, only these will be themed towns. A town where you won't be penalized for blaring loud musics and sporting loud modified cars around the town, while another town aims to be quiet and peaceful. Perhaps a town where nudist is the norm, and you would be penalized differently there based on your choice of clothing. Maybe two towns will have varying degrees of Sharia-compliance-y.
