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I generally agree. Cybernetics is a Google term (which is ironic given the theme) that’s a way into the body of research after that general yuck feeling OP has

I generally agree. Cybernetics is a Google term (which is ironic given the theme) that’s a way into the body of research after that general yuck feeling OP has and also covers part of the topic. But I agree with “all this” is something more than just Cybernetics. What central field ties up all those genres I listed? I haven’t found one yet. The lack of a central field for it, at least from what I can find, paired with this growing into a very legitimate monster of a problem, is a risky combination. It’s manifesting in weird ways. Disgruntled engineers, disgruntled Uber drivers, disgruntled life-by-QRcode users, anger at sort of dystopian govt ideas via tech. A central field would help move towards a solution.

Minor49er 4y ago
I haven't heard of cybernetics being a Google term before I also see where you're coming from. I think since the concepts of cybernetics have been swallowed up by the modern world, "modernism" might be slightly more appropriate. Perhaps a new term is needed at this point too Some of those weird manifests you described have been compounding, too. At an extreme, there was the Unabomber, whose manifesto was anti-industrialization. One of his targets, David Gelernter, was a proponent of technology encroaching on our lives (almost to a hyper-cybernetic extreme, particularly in his book Mirror Worlds where he describes a then-future where everything and everyone had a real existence, but also a digital one too. The digital one would make it easier to monitor and control things that would manifest positively in the real world)
- dogman144 4y ago
  Right. If you’re from a tech background and are looking for books that lead to other books, Cybernetics is a way in. A specific example is that Cybernetic Hypothesis book, which is full on hard-leftest French writer group writing under a pseudonym and covering the social<>anthropology<>economic<>tech aspect of “all this.” That same term will also lead to Norbert W and dry engineering Cybernetics, although his later books skew social impact as well iirc. The domestic terror angle is something I worry about. I’m in no way of condoning it, but the Unabomber is a clear example of ~tech despair leading into violence. So today, when the advocates for paying attention to this are basically Andrew Yang discussing out of work truck drivers and that Jon Stewart/Obama/Bezos dinner thing, it’s concerning to consider. The Unabomber occurred pre-iPhone and still escalated into something awful. So, what if tech/cybernetics/whatever the catchall phrase is the driver to this discontent which then leads to violence. Well, there’s a lot, to put it very mildly, of dehumanizing tech out there now and a population of users getting steered by it for years now. Many of them react via collective labor actions, but what will the others do?
kubanczyk 4y ago
> a Google term "keyword" (OED, meaning 1a: a word used in an information retrieval system to indicate the content of a document)
- Minor49er 4y ago
  Google is also the name of the company. "It's a Google term" sounds like something that is discussed internally. Calling a search phrase a "Google term" doesn't make a lot of sense to normal people

Minor49er 4y ago

I haven't heard of cybernetics being a Google term before I also see where you're coming from. I think since the concepts of cybernetics have been swallowed up by the modern world, "modernism" might be slightly more appropriate. Perhaps a new term is needed at this point too Some of those weird manifests you described have been compounding, too. At an extreme, there was the Unabomber, whose manifesto was anti-industrialization. One of his targets, David Gelernter, was a proponent of technology encroaching on our lives (almost to a hyper-cybernetic extreme, particularly in his book Mirror Worlds where he describes a then-future where everything and everyone had a real existence, but also a digital one too. The digital one would make it easier to monitor and control things that would manifest positively in the real world)

dogman144 4y ago
Right. If you’re from a tech background and are looking for books that lead to other books, Cybernetics is a way in. A specific example is that Cybernetic Hypothesis book, which is full on hard-leftest French writer group writing under a pseudonym and covering the social<>anthropology<>economic<>tech aspect of “all this.” That same term will also lead to Norbert W and dry engineering Cybernetics, although his later books skew social impact as well iirc. The domestic terror angle is something I worry about. I’m in no way of condoning it, but the Unabomber is a clear example of ~tech despair leading into violence. So today, when the advocates for paying attention to this are basically Andrew Yang discussing out of work truck drivers and that Jon Stewart/Obama/Bezos dinner thing, it’s concerning to consider. The Unabomber occurred pre-iPhone and still escalated into something awful. So, what if tech/cybernetics/whatever the catchall phrase is the driver to this discontent which then leads to violence. Well, there’s a lot, to put it very mildly, of dehumanizing tech out there now and a population of users getting steered by it for years now. Many of them react via collective labor actions, but what will the others do?

kubanczyk 4y ago

> a Google term "keyword" (OED, meaning 1a: a word used in an information retrieval system to indicate the content of a document)

Minor49er 4y ago
Google is also the name of the company. "It's a Google term" sounds like something that is discussed internally. Calling a search phrase a "Google term" doesn't make a lot of sense to normal people