{"id":96758,"date":"2017-12-01T11:51:45","date_gmt":"2017-12-01T11:51:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/samathieson.com\/sa-mathieson\/?p=96758"},"modified":"2017-12-01T11:51:45","modified_gmt":"2017-12-01T11:51:45","slug":"tech-not-evil-despite-tobacco-stains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/samathieson.com\/sa-mathieson\/tech-not-evil-despite-tobacco-stains\/","title":{"rendered":"Tech is not evil, despite the tobacco stains"},"content":{"rendered":"

2017 has seen a severe denting of the\u00a0technology industry’s reputation. The last month alone has seen the New York Times comparing it to Big Tobacco, in a piece titled \u2018How evil is tech?\u2019<\/a>; Facebook founder Sean Parker boasting about how the company exploits \u201ca vulnerability in human psychology\u201d to snare its users; and the Pope telling the faithful to put down their smartphones (both discussed by Andrew Sullivan, second item<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The companies causing this collapse are few in number. Some, including Facebook and Google, give away their products so they can sell the attention of their users; getting those users addicted is a logical development. (Minimising or ending use of such \u2018services\u2019 is our logical response.) Uber pushes transport regulations and corporate ethics<\/a> to breaking point, and many companies do something similar with tax. A backlash is coming from governments including the UK\u2019s, and it\u2019s hard to imagine the companies concerned getting much sympathy.<\/p>\n

But it would be wrong to stain information technology with the actions of a few companies, however large. Earlier this year I wrote about the incredible potential of virtual reality in treating mental illnesses<\/a>. Last week saw King\u2019s College London and UCL publish research<\/a> on giving a virtual computerised face to people\u2019s internal schizophrenic voices, so they can confront them.<\/p>\n

Tech is not evil. It provides us with tools we can use. These tools can exploit our mental vulnerabilities, but they can also help us heal them.<\/p>\n

This is from my monthly newsletter, which you can see in full here<\/a>. Sign up below.<\/em>
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2017 has seen a severe denting of the\u00a0technology industry’s reputation. 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