3 ms·

> Most of the new innovation we've seen in the past years have created BRAND NEW problems (when they originally promised us they would FIX PROBLEMS for us) if

by Closi 5y ago

> Most of the new innovation we've seen in the past years have created BRAND NEW problems (when they originally promised us they would FIX PROBLEMS for us) if you look closely enough at them. Cough... Social Media... Cough... This is the same with pretty much all innovation - even things like the invention of agriculture can be argued to have caused more problems than it solved (Yuval Noah Harari's book Sapiens makes this point). Laptops and smartphones made computing portable, but then has people taking their work home with them and increasing stress. Robotics help manufacture things, but also put people out of jobs. The car helps us get around but also contributes to global warming. I just don't think the implied view that "old innovation never used to create brand new problems" is true.

kwertyoowiyop 5y ago
Can’t remember who originally said this: ‘Computers are great at solving problems. Mostly the problems that they created.’ Kind of like the Simpsons quote about booze.
winternett 5y ago
The reference is to the artificial problems they create out of nowhere, especially the highly destructive ones, not the problems that cannot be helped. Social media for example has created serious problems with mental health of users, which could be eased dramatically if engagement and exposure wasn't gamified and manipulated, and if there was less of a focus on engagement and closed content. Many laptops and smartphones are now rendered obsolete quickly by software updates as new models are released every year by manufacturers, this creates a huge pile of waste that in turn pollutes the environment. Most of the negative aspects that have made product reliability and quality decline, along with dramatic price inflation are market-driven... The better way to counter market-driven innovation (in just one of many possible aspects mind you) is to create enduring and properly-priced products that don't get thrown away each year (at the expense of record profit) obviously.
- Closi 5y ago
  I guess my point is that you can point to almost any piece of technology, from the advent of agriculture to the flatscreen TV, and say that it created problems. Replacing old problems with new problems is probably an inherent part of technological advancement and innovation, you just hope the benefit is worth the cost (it would be great to find technologies that just solve problems with no cost, but that’s not what you see in history).
cudgy 5y ago
Cars also made us less healthy and more overweight since we don’t walk as much. They are also a leading cause of death when they crash into other objects. Robotics on the other hand is a good example of how technology is applied to maximize profits at the expense of people. Same could be said about social media which largely exists to gather information about people and sell it to marketers. The internet as a library to access information introduced a great convenience but it is trending toward a paywall mode that makes information harder to access (a regression). The article is largely cynical, but there is much to be cynical about when it comes to the latest developments in technology. Overall the cynicism is justified. Many of the smartest minds are dedicating themselves to Wall Street and Silicon Valley under the direction of the questionable leaders of large tech companies that are largely focused on artificial intelligence (for surveillance and marketing purposes) and social media (also for surveillance and marketing purposes). There are some outliers like Elon Musk, but they are in small number.

by Closi 5y ago

kwertyoowiyop 5y ago

Can’t remember who originally said this: ‘Computers are great at solving problems. Mostly the problems that they created.’ Kind of like the Simpsons quote about booze.

winternett 5y ago

The reference is to the artificial problems they create out of nowhere, especially the highly destructive ones, not the problems that cannot be helped. Social media for example has created serious problems with mental health of users, which could be eased dramatically if engagement and exposure wasn't gamified and manipulated, and if there was less of a focus on engagement and closed content. Many laptops and smartphones are now rendered obsolete quickly by software updates as new models are released every year by manufacturers, this creates a huge pile of waste that in turn pollutes the environment. Most of the negative aspects that have made product reliability and quality decline, along with dramatic price inflation are market-driven... The better way to counter market-driven innovation (in just one of many possible aspects mind you) is to create enduring and properly-priced products that don't get thrown away each year (at the expense of record profit) obviously.

Closi 5y ago
I guess my point is that you can point to almost any piece of technology, from the advent of agriculture to the flatscreen TV, and say that it created problems. Replacing old problems with new problems is probably an inherent part of technological advancement and innovation, you just hope the benefit is worth the cost (it would be great to find technologies that just solve problems with no cost, but that’s not what you see in history).

cudgy 5y ago

Cars also made us less healthy and more overweight since we don’t walk as much. They are also a leading cause of death when they crash into other objects. Robotics on the other hand is a good example of how technology is applied to maximize profits at the expense of people. Same could be said about social media which largely exists to gather information about people and sell it to marketers. The internet as a library to access information introduced a great convenience but it is trending toward a paywall mode that makes information harder to access (a regression). The article is largely cynical, but there is much to be cynical about when it comes to the latest developments in technology. Overall the cynicism is justified. Many of the smartest minds are dedicating themselves to Wall Street and Silicon Valley under the direction of the questionable leaders of large tech companies that are largely focused on artificial intelligence (for surveillance and marketing purposes) and social media (also for surveillance and marketing purposes). There are some outliers like Elon Musk, but they are in small number.