The Internet and Web 3.0
Internet access for Makoko is crucial, given its precarious relationship with the Lagos mainland. Over the years, the residents of Makoko have found a plethora of ways to connect to the internet. In the past, this was primarily achieved through the use of cheaply acquired cell phones, which were dependant upon the cell networks provided by Lagos-based companies. It was not uncommon for a Makokoan to own multiple cell phones simultaneously—one for making calls and connecting to the Web, one for watching media, and one perhaps for transferring data. With the evolution of Web 3.0 and the introduction of the Mother, the cell phone became a thing of the past; most Makokoans in 2035 interface with the Web via their wearable peripheral devices, larger, cobbled-together desktop computers, or recycled tablets provided to them by local hackers. The wearables themselves participate in a localized (and often globalized), networked intelligence that has come to characterize Web 3.0. Data is collected from the environment for immediate use by the wearer via Augmented Reality goggles and lenses as well as variety of embedded environmental sensors. This data is then parsed by computer vision algorithms and low-level artificial intelligence, and is often shared across the network between users. Drones, which are ubiquitous in Makoko, are also equipped with these capabilities and users may interface with them in realtime using wireless connections facilitated by the Mother. Often, the storage of this data becomes a problem as there are frequent interruptions in server connectivity related to power outages.
Hardware and Infrastructure
A much more difficult problem to solve for the first-wave of Makoko hackers that were educated in the Floating School was the increased pressure the Lagos authorities began to apply on the illicit connections Makoko had made to the power grid and internet in the wake of the global economic collapse and internal, militarized conflicts. In 2025, the Lagosian government lowered a "jamming shell" over Makoko, a military combination of advanced IP-blocking firewalls and cellular signal-jamming technology to make straightforward internet connectivity impossible.
Today, Makoko maintains a multivalent approach to both power needs and connectivity, making use of near-field charging for low-current devices, wireless connections (legal and illegal), solar cells, physical taps into undersea cables, and satellite connections. Maintaining servers poses the greatest difficulty, given the power needs for running the necessary equipment. Because of this, the network Makoko maintains could be said to have excellent "short term memory," but fairly poor "long term memory." Additionally, this relationship of Makoko to the outside infrastructure for connecting to the web has meant that its hacker culture is unmatched in its knowledge of network security. Makoko's local economy is reliant upon the ability of Makokoans to connect to the outside world, and this necessity has bred an ingenuity among its hackers that has become the bane of Lagosian telecom companies.