What's Good About the Internet in 2026?

Dean records an on-the-road podcast in Moose Jaw with his friend Alan Levine.. They discuss what’s still good about the internet in 2026, emphasizing curiosity, surprises, creativity, and niche communities that share knowledge, alongside the shift of social media from creation to consumption and parasocial influence. Alan describes teaching curiosity through hands-on activities and the value of low-stakes connection and storytelling. He explains his work at Open Education Global, the roots of open education and OpenCourseWare, its worldwide reach, and how openness supports quality through adaptation, educator involvement, and open pedagogy with students co-creating resources. They also cover Alan’s storytelling tools (Five Card Flickr Stories and PechaFlickr), mixed feelings about AI, and brief personal topics including his Canadian citizenship, reading about AI and photography, favorite shows, and Moose Jaw highlights.00:00 Internet Still Surprises 01:27Why This Interview Exists03:47 Coffee Shop Setup04:19 Family Archives and Voices05:11 What’s Good Online07:09 Teaching Internet Curiosity08:31 Social Media Then Now11:11 Micro Communities and Fixes13:23 Becoming Canadian16:14 Open Education Explained21:00 Quality and Open Pedagogy23:36 Digital Storytelling Today26:55 Beyond Video Storytelling28:02 Five Card Flickr Stories30:10 PechaFlickr Improv Talks33:41 Why These Tools Work34:41 AI Thoughts and Tradeoffs37:39 Practical AI Use Cases42:32 Reading on AI Photography47:50 Binge Watch Favorites48:55 Moose Jaw Hidden Gems50:46 Wrap Up and Thanks