4 ms·

If tech can cause social problems (there are multiple books on this) then it can solve them too - the only modern tech industry we've ever known has been domina

If tech can cause social problems (there are multiple books on this) then it can solve them too - the only modern tech industry we've ever known has been dominated by players attempting forms of lockin to capture rents and amass enormous fortunes, of course the technology of this society isnt generally helpful to the society at large.

alansaber 2mo ago
I would argue the individual aspirations of the companies is somewhat irrelevant- even if we weren't profit oriented we'd have the same types/groups of apps (social media, etc..
internet_points 2mo ago
> If tech can cause social problems (there are multiple books on this) then it can solve them too You haven't actually argued why it can solve them too. When you're about to make a general argument about tech, try to exchange "tech" with "cocaine" to see if the argument still holds (If cocaine can cause social problems, then it can solve them too)
- Arodex 2mo ago
  Cocaine does solve a societal problem: the cult of performance pushing people to their limits. Without cocaine, there would be more burnouts and depressions (right now; I am not talking about long-term). See also the role of "soma" in the novel Brave New World. People take cocaine voluntarily. It solves a problem for them, at one point at last (addiction is as much a psychological problem as a physiological one). It is the same as doping in sports. Maybe you think of junkies in the streets when you think of cocaine and see only the problems it causes, but there is as much if not more cocaine users who are right now successful executives and colleagues right by your side, who can still hide well their use, and have enough money to buy good grades of drug, and a stay in a rehabilitation clinic when things get out of hand.
  - internet_points 2mo ago
    On a meta-level, this type of reasoning explains so much of what comes out of Silicon Valley.
    - Arodex 2mo ago
      I don't know why you say that. I gave an answer based on simple facts, that addiction specialists would agree with. I stripped any personal judgement to put myself in the shoes of cocaine addicts. It is not incompatible with the fact that I think cocaine, like any addictive substance, is a net negative, both for individuals and the society, and Brave New World is a dystopia that make my skin crawl and if we could get rid of cocaine it would be better.
deleted 2mo ago
[deleted]

alansaber 2mo ago

I would argue the individual aspirations of the companies is somewhat irrelevant- even if we weren't profit oriented we'd have the same types/groups of apps (social media, etc..

internet_points 2mo ago

> If tech can cause social problems (there are multiple books on this) then it can solve them too You haven't actually argued why it can solve them too. When you're about to make a general argument about tech, try to exchange "tech" with "cocaine" to see if the argument still holds (If cocaine can cause social problems, then it can solve them too)

Arodex 2mo ago
Cocaine does solve a societal problem: the cult of performance pushing people to their limits. Without cocaine, there would be more burnouts and depressions (right now; I am not talking about long-term). See also the role of "soma" in the novel Brave New World. People take cocaine voluntarily. It solves a problem for them, at one point at last (addiction is as much a psychological problem as a physiological one). It is the same as doping in sports. Maybe you think of junkies in the streets when you think of cocaine and see only the problems it causes, but there is as much if not more cocaine users who are right now successful executives and colleagues right by your side, who can still hide well their use, and have enough money to buy good grades of drug, and a stay in a rehabilitation clinic when things get out of hand.
- internet_points 2mo ago
  On a meta-level, this type of reasoning explains so much of what comes out of Silicon Valley.
  - Arodex 2mo ago
    I don't know why you say that. I gave an answer based on simple facts, that addiction specialists would agree with. I stripped any personal judgement to put myself in the shoes of cocaine addicts. It is not incompatible with the fact that I think cocaine, like any addictive substance, is a net negative, both for individuals and the society, and Brave New World is a dystopia that make my skin crawl and if we could get rid of cocaine it would be better.

deleted 2mo ago

[deleted]