Hey Trustees, happy Sunday and welcome to the first Trusty thread!
While working on this newsletter, I’ve heard many people’s interesting thoughts on tech, trust, and more. So, I wanted to try out this discussion feature and see if we can keep those conversations going by opening up the floor to you all!
To kick things off, imagine it’s the year 2119and you’ve somehow managed to survive. We’ve obviously mastered time travel by then, so you decide to visit your past self. You travel back to today, October 13, 2019.
What do you tell your past self about this future world and what advice would you offer about humanity’s relationship with technology?
Something something singularity.... Really though, things are going to get a lot worse before they get better. That's not because the problems that seem to be destroying your world in 2019 are fundamentally harder to solve than others before them, but because the current structure of your society disincentivizes corporations, leaders, and others to make meaningful change in the short-term. The solutions will come, but humans tend to make meaningful change, only when maintaining the status quo is an exsitential threat. So be patient and do what you can in the short term. Take back control of your data, vote, think harder about ethical frameworks for technological development, revert back to tech essentials, assume nothing is secure, focus on real interactions, eat more blueberries, and breathe.
Keep on keeping on and being the change you wish to see in the world, especially when it comes to technology vs. humanity!! Keep surrounding yourself with people who are not glued to their phones/technology, keep speaking out about mental health as it relates to technology, and keep bringing up antitrust discussions with family and friends (continuing to use that tech~energy comparison). Keep resisting the temptation to work for FAANG. Keep searching for ways to mitigate the harm in Tech while elevating the good. Remember: if everyone thinks someone else will lead the charge, change fails to exist. It's all about moving the front lines. And of course, keep actively supporting others who align on these goals, such as Trusty's author. It all helped. BTW Hawaii finally does have a responsible tech scene that is equitable, helping the local economy, and bringing more jobs back home!!
Don’t worry. The gas is unleaded now. People have slowed down and consciously make time to put down their devices to engage in their real life communities. It has reignited a sense of community responsibility and stewardship. We’re holding one another accountable now without the vitriol. Twitter no longer exists, and while news isn’t generally delivered in real time, it’s more thoughtful and collaboratively vetted using the same tech that used to perpetuate falsehoods and bad information. It was a cultural revolution; being shitty to one another is no longer en vogue. Public trust is largely back. Hang in there!
Something something singularity.... Really though, things are going to get a lot worse before they get better. That's not because the problems that seem to be destroying your world in 2019 are fundamentally harder to solve than others before them, but because the current structure of your society disincentivizes corporations, leaders, and others to make meaningful change in the short-term. The solutions will come, but humans tend to make meaningful change, only when maintaining the status quo is an exsitential threat. So be patient and do what you can in the short term. Take back control of your data, vote, think harder about ethical frameworks for technological development, revert back to tech essentials, assume nothing is secure, focus on real interactions, eat more blueberries, and breathe.
Keep on keeping on and being the change you wish to see in the world, especially when it comes to technology vs. humanity!! Keep surrounding yourself with people who are not glued to their phones/technology, keep speaking out about mental health as it relates to technology, and keep bringing up antitrust discussions with family and friends (continuing to use that tech~energy comparison). Keep resisting the temptation to work for FAANG. Keep searching for ways to mitigate the harm in Tech while elevating the good. Remember: if everyone thinks someone else will lead the charge, change fails to exist. It's all about moving the front lines. And of course, keep actively supporting others who align on these goals, such as Trusty's author. It all helped. BTW Hawaii finally does have a responsible tech scene that is equitable, helping the local economy, and bringing more jobs back home!!
Don’t worry. The gas is unleaded now. People have slowed down and consciously make time to put down their devices to engage in their real life communities. It has reignited a sense of community responsibility and stewardship. We’re holding one another accountable now without the vitriol. Twitter no longer exists, and while news isn’t generally delivered in real time, it’s more thoughtful and collaboratively vetted using the same tech that used to perpetuate falsehoods and bad information. It was a cultural revolution; being shitty to one another is no longer en vogue. Public trust is largely back. Hang in there!