Re:Ask HN: Should software developers be activists?
by rhythnic on Monday September 28, 2020 @02:13PM
(#24619617)
I agree that the world needs to be less focused on software, and a simpler life would be nice. I also agree that people should not try to change others and focus on themselves, but the issue is not about changing others. It's about changing the system.
Software can achieve many positive things, including the organization of communities and their management, automation and efficiency gains, and the benefits of automation and efficiency gains should be shared by all.
A simple life without a cell phone might make for more personal happiness, but it's not going to save me from environmental destabilization, and it's not going to change any of the underlying factors of the system that affect which type of life I can have, no matter how simple I try to make it.
The issues we face are best solved by community action and not individualism.
And in my opinion you're not going to achieve anything (positive that is) with software. In fact, to change things people would need to use LESS software to become less dependent on those big corporations that pretend that they care.
You want to be revolutionary? Ditch your smartphone and live a simpler life. You can only change yourself and maybe others by the example you set.