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> "Once upon a time, we geeks truly believed that computing and telecommunications would bring us together." There were historical precedents, like the printin
by ThrowawayR2 2y ago
> "Once upon a time, we geeks truly believed that computing and telecommunications would bring us together."
There were historical precedents, like the printing press, which was hoped to bring morality and education to the masses but brought penny dreadfuls and yellow journalism along with it, and radio / television, which was hoped to bring culture and education to the masses and brought us soap operas and more yellow journalism along with it, that should have clued geeks in about what humanity would do with computing. Technology can't solve humans being human.
- grafmax 2y agoBlaming human nature mystifies the power relations that shape society. Penny dreadfuls and yellow journalism were the result of the commodification of culture under capitalism. The internet failed to bring us together because it was shaped and appropriated by corporate power to fragment solidarity, extract data, and commodify attention. In each case, it’s the profit-seeking of a minority class that bends technology toward commodification and cultural degradation. But let’s blame human nature instead of the power structures that generate these outcomes.