
Techno-Fundamentalism Can’t Save You, Mark Zuckerberg - raleighm
https://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/techno-fundamentalism-cant-save-you-mark-zuckerberg
======
ianai
Crux: “Zuckerberg isn’t a cynic; he’s a techno-fundamentalist, and that’s an
equally unhealthy habit of mind. It creates the impression that technology
exists outside, beyond, even above messy human decisions and relations, when
the truth is that no such gap exists. Society is technological. Technology is
social. Tools, as Marshall McLuhan told us more than fifty years ago, are
extensions of ourselves. They amplify and distort our strengths and our flaws.
That’s why we must design them with care from the start.”

Seems more than a little out of context to not mention the deep surveillance
of FB.

------
alehul
The New Yorker is focused on being verbose and speaking at a more abstract
level, so it makes sense there's no concrete recommendations to counter
Zuckerberg's current route.

Nonetheless, this article seems to have rather minimal information per
paragraph, and I'd also at least appreciate learning the opposite of techno-
fundamentalism. Maybe an example of perceived benefits in an area where we
haven't been 'techno-fundamentalists'? Overall, not impressed.

~~~
IAmEveryone
> Maybe an example of perceived benefits in an area where we haven't been
> 'techno-fundamentalists'

End-of-life care is one area where the thinking is changing from techno-
fundamentalism to something more...human(e)

------
code777777
From the article:

>"But, more crucial, it’s also an expression of techno-fundamentalism, the
unshakable belief that one can and must invent the next technology to fix the
problem caused by the last technology. Techno-fundamentalism is what has
landed us in this trouble. And it’s the wrong way to get us out."

Platforms like Facebook are just exposing these innate human biases that have
existed since the birth of our species.

The congressional hearings showed that even for some really smart people it's
hard to understand the annals of technology and the broader dynamics.

In my view Mr. Zuckerberg's points on AI were more about identifying bots, and
bad actor campaigns and not focused on censorship of individual ideas.

------
nickpp
So they’re pissed off that Facebook does not censor its users as they'd like.
Zuckerberg says the AI will. They don't agree but they don't offer any other
solution in exchange either.

Wtf?!

------
throwaway84742
Zuck is worth $80b+. He doesn’t need to be “saved”. He’s going to be all
right, believe me.

~~~
macawfish
Money won't save him either, dude

~~~
throwaway84742
I beg to differ. If you had $80b you could shoot someone in broad daylight in
the middle of Manhattan and you’d still be alright.

~~~
macawfish
What do you mean by "alright"? Like internally? Would you be sitting well with
yourself? Would you be deeply satisfied with what you've done with your life?

I imagine you'd be troubled, and no amount of money can alleviate that kind of
troubled feeling, ever.

~~~
throwaway84742
Zuck is a robot. He doesn’t have feelings.

------
notthegov
They should rename Facebook's address.

