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> They are losing it to other humans which are gaining power, financially, politically and perhaps now computationally. That's disturbing and it's part of what
by dleslie 6y ago
> They are losing it to other humans which are gaining power, financially, politically and perhaps now computationally. That's disturbing and it's part of what Jaron Lanier has been warning about for quite a while now.
AFAICT, the average EU, Commonwealth or American citizen had their agency increased since the turn of the 20th century. Advancements in health care, widespread access to education and sturdy labour laws have vastly improved individual agency.
Maybe, as a non-American, I'm missing a key factor?
- carapace 6y agoHong Kong. It was the first major test of popular urban unrest vs. centralized authority (kind of ironic that an ostensibly Communist regime was the first) with the Internet in full play. The story may not be over yet, but so far it looks like the differential advantage of tech is in favor of the central authority over the mob.
- dleslie 6y agoAh, I excluded Asia on purpose. Foremost because I do not hold as much cultural understanding for its recent history, but also because I understand that there are key differences in long standing societal values. HK is certainly an interesting point to consider; I'll have to think on it. Appropriately it was a Commonwealth member for some time.
- mistermann 6y agoYou are missing counterfactuals, at least.