The Internet allows us to live in idea mirrors, echo chambers, or whatever the term is. Decentralization actually will make that problem worse by making it easier for people to hide in their own idea caves.

In effect, decentralization will allow us all to retreat to our own thought neighborhoods that we existed in before the Internet! So this is a real conundrum.

On the one hand, decentralization allows more freedom. On the other, we use that freedom to avoid new ideas and surround ourselves with the comfort of familiarity.

Good analysis, 'conundrum' is the right word - just to echo your remarks haha.

One thing about the Covid origin arguments, however, it has thrown up some strange bedfellows - which breaks through the echo chamber to some extent. For example, most people on the left trust the experts and believe it was the result of natural selection, whereas the right is more likely to believe the lab scenario.

Then there are those that have an opinion on the origin that is formed without regard to left or right thinking. It would be nice if this engenders a rise in independent analysis - outside the web of both party machines.

Alan Deshowitz describes himself as a 'liberal Democrat' but has an interesting perspective (paywall) that relates to the above:

"There is a crisis in free speech led by the United States but literally around the world. And the tragedy is it’s being led by the left. I grew up with McCarthyism. There were great threats to free speech from the right, and we, liberals, stood up for free speech because naturally they were suppressing our free speech.

Today, the conservatives are speaking up for free speech, because the left is repressing their free speech. There are very, very few people out there who say “free speech for me and for thee, rather than free speech for me but not for thee”.

The left have become so certain of their truth that they don’t think there’s a need for dissent. They don’t think there’s a need for due process. Many support cancel culture which is a direct denial of both freedom of speech and due process. With certainty comes intolerance."