Re:I wish mum's phone was never invented
by jdietrich on Wednesday May 23, 2018 @05:32PM
(#17138521)
As technologists, we have to acknowledge responsibility for the effects our inventions have on society. We wield an immensely powerful set of tools with a uniquely broad reach. We have a duty to build a better world, rather than just chasing engagement metrics.
We can only deal with that responsibility if we think deeply about the human instincts, urges and needs that our technology interacts with. We need to reflect on the strengths and vulnerabilities of the mammalian brain. We cannot be glib or facile, we cannot just say "put your phone down", we cannot just blame the users or a handful of huge multinationals. We need to ask ourselves honestly whether we are making salad or junk food, whether we are making medicine or cigarettes. We need to ask that question often - when we are planning an MVP, when we are adding a feature, when we are gamifying a metric. Is this function call exploitative? Does this for loop enrich the world?
We can only deal with that responsibility if we think deeply about the human instincts, urges and needs that our technology interacts with. We need to reflect on the strengths and vulnerabilities of the mammalian brain. We cannot be glib or facile, we cannot just say "put your phone down", we cannot just blame the users or a handful of huge multinationals. We need to ask ourselves honestly whether we are making salad or junk food, whether we are making medicine or cigarettes. We need to ask that question often - when we are planning an MVP, when we are adding a feature, when we are gamifying a metric. Is this function call exploitative? Does this for loop enrich the world?