Outside of the asymmetric power behind data flows and control there are a few things that concern me:
influence / manipulation of people for nefarious aims (i.e. recent Cambridge Analytica fiasco, russian influence on elections)
social division and inequality - everything from jobs, to access to services and products, enhancement and trans/post-humanism implications
a lack of security in ‘smart’ homes and cities devices
environmental impacts - everything from the massive power demands of IT infrastructure (the impact of the cloud running 24/7 is huge), the resources needed in so many products (many of which are not necessary), the pollution created in the tech lifecycle, and perhaps forgotten, that so much of modern personal devices and software is geared towards increasing consumption of various forms
surveillance, quantification of self and each other - rather like aspects of Egger’s The Circle and certain Black Mirror espiodes
A loss of resilience - infrastructure critical dependencies through integrated online smart systems, cognitive outsourcing as we hand over functions to devices, and hollowing out to show the different scales at which this might occur.
a loss of nature connection and all the wellbeing benefits that brings
information overload
hegemony of quantitative and algorithmic decision making
These are all substantial points that you bring up. It’s a shame that most people in our society don’t consider the points you’ve made, let alone one of them. We definitely need to continue spreading awareness and developing ways in which we can combat our excessive dependence on technology. Thanks for your comment!
The Low Tech Trek is going well, thanks for asking! We’ve hosted a few guest writers from CHT, including @patm and @micheleminno. It’s been great seeing the community grow. Right now, we are engaged with people from various backgrounds; those involved with the tech industries, other artists like myself, and those simply interested and passionate in the topic.
There are certainly overlaps with the Center for Humane Technology, but the focus of The Low Tech Trek is more so on changing our behavior rather than creating more ethical design. It’s in the early stages now, but the plan is to continue growing into a more cohesive community. Feel free to email me at contact@thelowtechtrek.com if you want to learn more or get involved.
A terrifying, though likely accurate, depiction of what our future can turn into. It’s important, as you mention, to look ahead at where we are going. We must course-correct now before it’s too late. Thanks so much for your reply!