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Author here: I also worry about Learned Helplessness, where we believe that there is nothing we can do about it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learned_helples
by socialcooling 9y ago
Author here:
I also worry about Learned Helplessness, where we believe that there is nothing we can do about it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learned_helplessness https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learned_helplessness
In Silicon Valley the Technological Determinist view that technology has it's own will, that it is some unstoppable force, is the dominant but dangerous viewpoint.
That idea is only creating a self-fulfilling prophesy.
The reality is that we as a society have always taken the rough edges of new technologies through the creation of laws and new norms. For example, we pretty much put a halt to nuclear energy.
We can and we must regulate the Big Data world much more. And the first step is that we must help people understand the problem.
- golemotron 9y agoI agree. We need to be more conscious of the Precautionary Principle, but having said that it is easy to see how technological determinism is an accurate view regardless of whether we like it or not. As an example, no one quite knew how much cars, television, or the ready availability of cameras on cellphones would impact society. But consumers were so excited by the upsides that there couldn't ever be debate about any downsides or call for regulatory frameworks until the downsides manifested themselves. The trick that we use is to hook the consumer faster than law can react. Uber did this successfully. Segway flubbed it. With Segway Kamen wanted a big rollout. It attracted attention and municipalities started passing legislation restricting Segways before they were off the assembly line.