If technology is ever to be a solution to any social problem, Silicon Valley first must stop being the problem. Until then, these technopolies must be seen as enemies of free people everywhere:
. . . . Facebook has endured a drip, drip of revelations concerning Russian operatives who used its platform to influence the 2016 presidential election by stirring up racist anger. Google had a similar role in carrying targeted, inflammatory messages during the election, and this summer, it appeared to play the heavy when an important liberal think tank, New America, cut ties with a prominent scholar who is critical of the power of digital monopolies. Some within the organization questioned whether he was dismissed to appease Google and its executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, both longstanding donors, though New America’s executive president and a Google representative denied a connection.
Meanwhile, Amazon, with its purchase of the Whole Foods supermarket chain and the construction of brick-and-mortar stores, pursues the breathtakingly lucrative strategy of parlaying a monopoly position online into an offline one, too.. . .
The last thing American children need is personalized learning. Being hooked up to devices pre and post-natally takes an enormous toll on the development of social skills. I have taught children who were challenged to carry on a conversation in any language. In my view, Silicon Valley is playing a less than constructive role in the majority of their endeavors.
ReplyDeleteAbigail Shure