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Technopoly So Far

So I haven't actually finished the book yet, but I have to say I'm having a reaction to reading Neil Postman's Technopoly very similar to me reading Illich's Tools for Conviviality for the first time. I just feel almost sick from how all the dark observations from decades ago hold even truer than when these books were written.

Honestly, I have a hard time even wrapping my head around how Postman thought television was bad when all his criticisms feels so tailored perfectly for a social media he never lived to see.

It's absolutely horrifying because he's writing about a technopoly is a culture that has lost its information immune system and, like, I've tried to describe this past year that QAnon scares the shit out of me because it's like a memetic virus.

I'm going to try and have more coherent thoughts soon, but I just kinda needed to vent just how upset I've been because when you realize people have been making these criticisms for decades it makes trying now feel futile.

I feel like a lot of us in the small internet are like the prophets of old: crying out a warning of destruction, knowing it won't be heeded.

I just hope that's the depression talking.