what happened to the liberating potential of technology?

[masterpeastheater]

Or is it still there? Will technology ever be anything other than a money making and social control tool
for the wealthy and governments? Will regular people ever again benefit from new technology
in capacities other than entertainment?

 

[J842P]

Or is it still there? Will technology ever be anything other than a money making and social control tool
for the wealthy and governments? Will regular people ever again benefit from new technology
in capacities other than entertainment?

[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sJUDx7iEJw[/YOUTUBE]

 

[steve_bank]

One can argue technology has enslaved us. The Internet as unleashed collective hatred and bias.

In the 60s and 70s the counter culture was opposing he rising middle class materialism. Today it is worse hen ever. Instant 24/7 gratification. 24/7 video escapism.

 

[Tigers!]

Remind me of the forthcoming paper-less office.

When I joined Telecom Australia back in 1982 they were talking of the paper-less by 1995.

 

[Jayjay]

Technology lets us live longer, healthier and have more fun while doing it. My bigger fear is that it will stratify society permanently to consumers, who own nothing, provide negligible value, and have no hope of advancing in society, and top-tier leaders or experts who run the show. That one Black Mirror episode where people kept pedaling exercise bikes to win virtual prizes is where we are headed.

 

[rousseau]

At the time people forgot that technology can be used by shitty people too. And actually, it's most common use is likely personal gain, even if sometimes that has positive side-effects.

 

[steve_bank]

Water on demand, sewers, hot water on demand, and grocery stores full everyday. Travel around the world for average people.

In nay historical context that is about as liberated as you can be from the harshness of physical reality.

What is it you want to be liberated from?

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Or is it still there? Will technology ever be anything other than a money making and social control tool
for the wealthy and governments? Will regular people ever again benefit from new technology
in capacities other than entertainment?

Because we incorporate the benefits into our ideas of "normal".

 

[Bomb#20]

Or is it still there? Will technology ever be anything other than a money making and social control tool
for the wealthy and governments? Will regular people ever again benefit from new technology
in capacities other than entertainment?

Sorry, I couldn't hear you -- I'm on the west coast. Could you ask your town crier to cry your question again, a little louder this time?

 

[steve_bank]

Some are given to the sci fi idea of put conscious into a machine or something like that.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Or is it still there? Will technology ever be anything other than a money making and social control tool
for the wealthy and governments? Will regular people ever again benefit from new technology
in capacities other than entertainment?

Because we incorporate the benefits into our ideas of "normal".

Expanding on my answer:

There was a box of my old camping gear out in the garage. I've gotten back into the outdoors and dug through it--and found that almost everything in there was of no value anymore--the modern stuff is so much better.

Also, back then one of the basic safety rules was never going alone. If you got hurt out there it would be really hard for search and rescue to find you and they wouldn't even start looking until you were overdue and someone called it in. Now, we have multiple satellite communications options and we have GPS units to make it much easier to figure out where you are. Not to mention that my boots are Gore-Tex--waterproof but breathable. In the old days you only wore waterproof stuff if we really need it, now I haven't worn anything else out there since I finally found boots that fit me.