“…Never before in history have a handful of people at a handful of technology companies shaped how a billion people think and feel every day with the choices they make about these screens.” Tristan Harris
In the second chapter of “Deep Work”, Cal Newport discusses the idea that there is a wide-ranging cult of the Internet, that technology is seen as synonymous with revolution and the future. That seems to lend truth to how just four major tech companies basically monopolized the entire tech landscape. Google, once just a search engine, now builds cars and cell phones, computers and smart devices. Amazon has its own film production company and delivers full grocery orders. Facebook, originally a college student’s hobby, employs the former Chief of Staff for United States Secretary of the Treasury.
Corners of the Internet are still used for its initial positive intentions of connectivity and creation. Now more than ever we rely on digital communication; social media platforms have become a way both to support homebound people and for them to seek help like coordinating donations and fundraisers. The Internet has helped people feel not as alone during our pandemic-necessitated isolation, giving a way to virtually entertain and socialize with each other. But this freedom of connectivity and convenience comes with a price. Misinformation is rampant online, influencing not just angry commenters but entire election cycles. Hate groups are more empowered than ever before, retreating to their own corners of the internet and spewing violent ideologies into an endless feedback loop.
It’s important to remember that these companies aim to keep us engaged as much as possible because it is, if nothing else, a business model. Advertisement spending on social media has doubled in just two years to more than $31 billion. Former Google product manager Tristan Harris described it as “a race to the bottom of the brain stem […] to the most primitive emotions we have.”(Cooper). These companies anticipate us turning to them unthinkingly to them for information and entertainment while they mine us for data.
So it’s crucial that we as a people develop policies and codes to keep this relationship working, ideally curbing the spread of misinformation and privacy-invading practices. But until then it’s important to maintain a critical eye when interacting with technology and social media, and not blindly trust everything Silicon Valley does. It’s long past time to consider the consequences of these monopolies.
Ali, S. Harris, and Fuyuki Kurasawa (2021, January 14) . “#COVID19: Social Media Both a Blessing and a Curse during Coronavirus Pandemic.” The Conversation, Retrieved February 7, 2021, from theconversation.com/covid19-social-media-both-a-blessing-and-a-curse-during-coronavirus-pandemic-133596.
Cooper, A. (2017, April 9). What is “brain hacking”? Tech insiders on why you should care. Retrieved February 7, 2021, from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/brain-hacking-tech-insiders-60-minutes/
Newport, C. (2016). Chapter 2: Deep Work is Rare. In Deep Work (pp. 49–71). New York: Grand Central Publishing.
Foer, F. (2017, September 8). How Silicon Valley is erasing your individuality. Retrieved February 7, 2021, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/how-silicon-valley-is-erasing-your-individuality/2017/09/08/a100010a-937c-11e7-aace-04b862b2b3f3_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.c29c576f03e8
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