How to fix Big Tech and Social Media

[mongers]

I haven't paying much attention, but has Berkut fixed Social Media yet?

Nearly, a major breakthrough was banning ALL CAPS words from social media.

[Berkut]

Shit, was that my job?

[The Minsky Moment]

Good article - all of those points are of concern.

Yes. And virtually none of them are new. You could have written essentially the same article in the early 20th century based on the technology of that era.

[Eddie Teach]

Shit, was that my job?

Would you rather handle Big Tech?

[crazy canuck]

Good article - all of those points are of concern.

Yes. And virtually none of them are new. You could have written essentially the same article in the early 20th century based on the technology of that era.

For various technologies yes - and in fact the article itself makes the same point.  But this is all now directly relevant to one pervasive technology.

[Berkut]

Good article - all of those points are of concern.

Yes. And virtually none of them are new. You could have written essentially the same article in the early 20th century based on the technology of that era.

This ignores that not all technology is the same. It's like arguing that nukes are really no different then bombs which were no different from cannon balls which was no different then....

But lets put that aside for now.

Arguing that this is no big deal because we have had all technological innovation before is really missing the point. Technological innovation in the past has often, maybe even almost always, seen massive disruption of human society come along with it.

The printing press was an incredible technological advance. Invented in the 1440s in Europe. Really took off, and revolutionized that ability of everyone to engage in mass communication.

Europe then entered a period of decades of almost constant war that saw somewhere around 10 million people killed. Obviously, it is incorrect to say that this was solely the result of technological change - these things are always complex - but my point is simply that history is replete with bloody revolutions, upheaval, death and destruction. So saying "Well, that's nothing new!" doesn't make me feel any better about the threat. I would rather my kids don't live through the next French or Russian revolution, personally. Even if we accept that in the long run the long term outcome was positive. I would rather figure out a way to get the benefits of new technology without the massive butchery and chaos that is so common throughout human history.