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I definitely get being cynical about software, and a lot of it is either disposable trash or actively harmful. But I think we working in tech massively overlook
by munificent 5y ago
I definitely get being cynical about software, and a lot of it is either disposable trash or actively harmful. But I think we working in tech massively overlook the many many positive benefits of software and how much it improves the lives of people on a daily basis.
I've learned how to fix my own appliances from online videos, stayed connected with friends through email, found stuff to do and avoided getting lost in unfamiliar cities through navigation, unwound with games, discovered new music and shared my music with others. All of that was because of or mediated by software. Could I have done it without, maybe. But I did use software for it, and tech deserves credit for that.
- Apocryphon 5y agoOrthogonal to your point perhaps, but the problem with tech is that monopolistic megacorps are the ones who are both delivering that helpful content to you, and the surveillance technologies, dark-pattern Skinner box digital addiction devices/platforms, and whatever other negative things associated with tech. Maybe we need antitrust action just so we can better separate the “good” software companies from the “bad” ones.
- munificent 5y agoI agree completely. But I think that the problem is mostly orthogonal to technology. Monopolistic megacorporations in any area are rife with problems. Look at Walmart, Nestlé, Shell, Comcast, etc. Tech companies are particularly prone to this because information naturally lends itself to economies of scale, and economies of scale are fundamentally anti-competitive. But it's the consolidation that's the problem, not the tech itself.