The author doesn’t consider that some of the “Gen-X” PoV was out of naivete. I’m using Gen-X out of convenience, as HN has peolple of all ages that remember the good old days.
Software engineers never united or created any meaningful professional organization, so it let the organizations with the most money create platforms. To SW engineers, “union” or “trade org” was a dirty word even back in the late 90s (I remember vividly arguing on forums even then).
Today, it’s the FAANG companies that dictate things these days, which unfortunately includes the worst of the worst.
Gen-X was also naive, because it never considered that the internet would become so ingrained or essential so quickly; indeed, it was more incremental until the iPhone and Android.
Therefore it also never seriously considered bad actors manipulating walled gardens and creating echo chambers, as an open internet meant that ideas (including bad ones) would flow BOTH ways.
Finally, it never gave any credible thought to what a a highly accessible internet would do for local/regional/national journalists. This above all else I feel hurts us the most, because it lets bad actors get away with so much.
So if there’s one thing I feel we must solve first, it’s to help revive the journalism field; and I feel ongoing help from software engineers (as a whole) is a must.
Software engineers never united or created any meaningful professional organization, so it let the organizations with the most money create platforms. To SW engineers, “union” or “trade org” was a dirty word even back in the late 90s (I remember vividly arguing on forums even then).
Today, it’s the FAANG companies that dictate things these days, which unfortunately includes the worst of the worst.
Gen-X was also naive, because it never considered that the internet would become so ingrained or essential so quickly; indeed, it was more incremental until the iPhone and Android.
Therefore it also never seriously considered bad actors manipulating walled gardens and creating echo chambers, as an open internet meant that ideas (including bad ones) would flow BOTH ways.
Finally, it never gave any credible thought to what a a highly accessible internet would do for local/regional/national journalists. This above all else I feel hurts us the most, because it lets bad actors get away with so much.
So if there’s one thing I feel we must solve first, it’s to help revive the journalism field; and I feel ongoing help from software engineers (as a whole) is a must.