Re:The Religion of Techno-Optimism
by tivert on Monday December 11, 2023 @11:18AM
(#38601893)
The article is worth it for the quotes from "David Noble['s] 1997 book The Religion of Technology." I'll have to check that out, because everything quoted there rings very true.
> There’s ample evidence that neither Andreessen, nor Musk, nor any of the rest of them will be able to realize the futures they promise. Those visions only exist to keep us distracted from the real harms caused by their companies.
I agree that they won't be able to deliver on their promises, and those promises serve as a distraction. However I'm not so sure the distraction is a deliberate deception. I think it's quite possible the "Silicon Valley elite" are delusional ("high on their own supply") and engaging in a lot of self-serving self-deception. It's also possible their promises are knowing lies. The reality is probably some combination of the two.
Another good book in the same vein is Technopoly by Neil Postman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technopoly.
> There’s ample evidence that neither Andreessen, nor Musk, nor any of the rest of them will be able to realize the futures they promise. Those visions only exist to keep us distracted from the real harms caused by their companies.
I agree that they won't be able to deliver on their promises, and those promises serve as a distraction. However I'm not so sure the distraction is a deliberate deception. I think it's quite possible the "Silicon Valley elite" are delusional ("high on their own supply") and engaging in a lot of self-serving self-deception. It's also possible their promises are knowing lies. The reality is probably some combination of the two.