Internet Changemakers

What's Next for the Internet?

In the final episode of season one of Internet Changemakers, hosts Claire van Zwieten  [https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairevanzwieten/]and Yug Desai  [https://www.linkedin.com/in/yug-desai-141785b4/]and guests discuss the future of internet governance and digital inclusion. Joined by Amged Shwehdy [https://www.linkedin.com/in/abshwehdy/], a digital transformation specialist and researcher at the UN Economic Commission for Africa, and Saba Tiku Beyene [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabatiku/?originalSubdomain=et], youth advocate and AI policy researcher with roles at ICANN, the Internet Society, and the UN Internet Governance Forum (IGF). The conversation centers on the outcomes of the WSIS+20 Review and what comes next in the global effort to keep the internet open, secure, and equitable. Amged is an alumnus of the ISOC Early Career Fellowship. Saba is an alumna of the Youth Ambassador Program and the Community Fellowship. Both guests stress that meaningful youth participation must go beyond tokenism. Amged called for structured pathways that move youth from panels and workshops into decision-making bodies, celebrating programs like the Internet Society's Youth Ambassadors and ICANN NextGen for equipping young participants with tools to intervene—not just observe—at global meetings. Saba adds that sustainable youth engagement requires institutional support, paid opportunities, long-term programs, mentorship, and shared leadership so that passion and volunteerism are matched with real opportunities for growth and influence. Looking ahead, both guests remain optimistic. Amged points to the evolution of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and AI capacity-building as transformative opportunities for development. Saba emphasizes the power of open-source AI to democratize innovation and ensure that technology serves local communities rather than being imposed from outside. Despite the risks—fragmentation, erosion of openness, symbolic participation—they both believe that the multi-stakeholder model, though imperfect, remains the most sustainable and effective way forward.

Connected! But at What Cost?

In the seventh episode of Internet Changemakers, hosts Claire van Zwieten  [https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairevanzwieten/]and Noha Ashraf AbdelBaky  [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nohaabdelbaky/]sit down with Alejandra Stolk  [https://www.linkedin.com/in/alejandra-stolk-24a63939/]to unpack one of the most tangible questions people have about the Internet: why is my connection so expensive—and is it worth the cost? Alejandra, an alumna of both the ISOC Mid-Career and Community Fellowships, is president of the Internet Society’s Venezuela Chapter and network connectivity manager at the University of the Andes. She guides listeners through how geography, infrastructure, policy, and market dynamics all shape what appears on the monthly Internet bill.   Alejandra explains the Internet using the analogy of a highway built from routers, switches, and devices, where every segment—from global backbones to the “last mile” into homes—has a price tag attached. She outlines how costs vary depending on whether a community is served by fiber optics, wireless links, or satellite.  She also explains why areas with only one or two Internet Service Providers (ISPs) often face higher prices and poorer service due to limited competition and difficult terrain. From mountainous regions in the Andes to dense urban centers like London, she illustrates how physical geography and local economics intersect to raise or lower connectivity costs. Looking ahead, she calls for future internet leaders who are more gender-diverse, grounded in both technical and policy awareness, and ready to defend encryption, openness, and resilience against attempts to fragment or weaken the network.

Pioneering Digital Trust with craigslist Founder, Craig Newmark

In the sixth episode of Internet Changemakers, hosts Claire van Zwieten [https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairevanzwieten/] and Yug Desai [https://www.linkedin.com/in/yug-desai-141785b4/] sit down with Craig Newmark, the quietly influential founder of craigslist, a global classified advertisements website, and a major advocate for cybersecurity, journalism, and digital resilience. Known for his values-driven approach, Craig shares the story behind one of the Internet’s most enduring classified platforms, revealing how his vision was shaped by trust, community, and a commitment to the common good. Craig traces his journey from his first encounter with the ARPANET in the 1970s to the launch of craigslist as a simple, community-focused mailing list in the 1990s. He explains how the platform grew organically, rooted in the philosophy of treating people the way he wanted to be treated—a principle inspired by his early life and Sunday school values. Craigslist’s intentionally simple design, low barriers to access, and focus on user service over profit set it apart in an age increasingly dominated by dark patterns and aggressive monetization. Craig discusses his transition from running craigslist to leading major philanthropic efforts, including funding cybersecurity initiatives, supporting military families, and helping create the Cyber Resilience Corps. He also talks about the importance of building networks of networks—coalitions of goodwill that can fight back against cyber threats and strengthen the Internet’s social fabric. CONSIDER A DONATION The Internet is no longer optional — it’s vital to lives and livelihoods. Yet 2.6 billion people remain unconnected, and it’s being fragmented along national borders, threatening innovation and global progress. Online security fears are rising fast. The stakes are high. Help bridge the digital divide and defend a global, open Internet for everyone by donating today: https://donorportal.internetsociety.org/page/2025EOY [https://donorportal.internetsociety.org/page/2025EOY]

The Digital Age Divide

In the fifth episode of Internet Changemakers, hosts Noha Ashraf AbdelBaky and Claire van Zwieten sit down with Kim Ochs, PhD., an educator and researcher specializing in lifelong learning and education technology, and Isaac Carrasco Ortiz, a sociologist and digital literacy advocate, to explore how the Internet connects—and often divides—different generations. This episode, The Digital Age Divide, underscores that the nternet is a shared space across ages—one that thrives when everyone feels empowered to participate with curiosity, confidence, and care. Isaac shares how his journey into digital literacy work began unexpectedly through community teaching with older adults in Massachusetts. It’s one thing to work with older adults. It’s another thing to teach technology. But it’s a third thing entirely to teach older adults about technology. Through that work, he discovered the importance of confidence, empathy, and cross-generational understanding in shaping how people connect online. Kim offers a framework for understanding digital literacy and draws on her experience teaching multigenerational classrooms to challenge the idea that digital literacy is tied to age. We often assume young people are skilled and older adults are not, but both groups are incredibly diverse. It has more to do with context, confidence, and motivation than chronology. The conversation also takes on the urgent issue of trust and safety online, especially for older generations navigating scams, misinformation, and privacy threats. Both guests emphasize that security skills are an essential dimension of digital literacy and agree that building digital confidence—through mentorship, community programs, and intergenerational collaboration—is key to a safer, more inclusive Internet. The guests call for stakeholders to engage together and work towards a new digital human synchronicity, where learning and adaptation are seen as lifelong processes, not bound by generational stereotypes. LINKS /RESOURCES AmeriCorps [https://www.americorps.gov/] Bridging the Grey Digital Divide: Enhancing ICT Learning for Older Adults (UNESCO) [https://www.uil.unesco.org/en/articles/bridging-grey-digital-divide-enhancing-ict-learning-older-adults] Digitally Empowering Older Adults in Mexico (ISOC Mexico Chapter) [https://www.internetsociety.org/blog/2025/01/digitally-empowering-older-adults-in-mexico/] Generation definitions [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation] Geragogy [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geragogy] Laura Breeden, Internet Hall of Fame Inductee 2023 Massachusetts Executive Office of Aging and Independence National Digital Inclusion Alliance Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) CONSIDER A DONATION The Internet is no longer optional — it’s vital to lives and livelihoods. Yet 2.6 billion people remain unconnected, and it’s being fragmented along national borders, threatening innovation and global progress. Online security fears are rising fast. The stakes are high. Help bridge the digital divide and defend a global, open Internet for everyone by donating today: https://donorportal.internetsociety.org/page/2025EOY [https://donorportal.internetsociety.org/page/2025EOY]

The Metrics Behind the Magic

In the fourth episode of Internet Changemakers, hosts Claire van Zwieten and Yug Desai explore the science and strategy behind Internet measurement—how we track outages, latency, and even hidden surveillance across the global Internet ecosystem. Joined by leading researchers Dr. Alexander Gamero-Garrido (Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of California, Davis) and Anand Raje (Co-Founder and CTO, India Internet Foundation (IIFON)), the conversation uncovers how data and measurement are shaping a more open, resilient, and secure Internet for everyone. Both guests emphasize that data-driven storytelling is essential for the Internet’s future. Whether highlighting unstable local connections, revealing how certain regions are left digitally dependent on faraway servers, or equipping policymakers with evidence to craft and enforce regulations, measurement is the key to transparency and resilience. In summary, Episode 4 makes clear: the Internet’s true state is hidden in vast streams of data. Measurement is how we find the truth, tell the stories, and build a digital world fit for the future.   CONSIDER A DONATION The Internet is no longer optional — it’s vital to lives and livelihoods. Yet 2.6 billion people remain unconnected, and it’s being fragmented along national borders, threatening innovation and global progress. Online security fears are rising fast. The stakes are high. Help bridge the digital divide and defend a global, open Internet for everyone by donating today: https://donorportal.internetsociety.org/page/2025EOY [https://donorportal.internetsociety.org/page/2025EOY]