Has ‘Tech’ become darker and muddier in 2018?

"Over these 12 months our relationship with tech has both been darker and more muddy because it becomes increasingly clear that all the bright and shiny positive potentials of tech are at the risk of being darkened by forced misuse of data, manipulation, supervision, no respect of the citizen, no respect of individual rights," says Margrethe Vestager the EU's Competition Commissioner.

Commissioner Vestager, interviewed by Baroness Lane-Fox - a board member of Twitter and guest editor of this morning's Today radio programme on BBC Radio 4 - added that “while dismantling companies had served Brussels well in the past, the speed at which changes occurred in the tech sector made it a less appropriate response”.

“Instead,” Vestager said, “the commission might look at how larger firms got access to data and resources in a bid to limit their power.”

But will this really be the best solution? Isn’t this model how we’ve found ourselves in such a pretty pass? One that features giant corporations whose overwhelming power is barely matched by that of the bureaucrats, who we vainly hope might control them?

Greater regulation and centralised government are ruled out here in our latest ‘ONversation’, where OurNet CEO Michael Brodie suggests: “Fiddling around with data protection is just whistling into the wind.”

In our conversation, he asks the question: “Do we want to organise ourselves in a way that encourages people to push the boundaries and succeed extremely well by manipulating and using each other? Or do we want to start to reconsider the fundamental rules that we have?”

For us at OurNet it’s back to the fundamental rules of ‘social intelligence’, not more of the status quo and standard way of competition and fear. The latter doesn’t seem to be working, and is actually the perfect recipe for a ‘dark and muddy’ Internet.

Clearly, we need to change the way the system currently works; a system which rewards us when we misuse each other. We need a fundamental and systemic transformation that deals with the ‘split personality’ discussed in the podcast. We need to address how and why our sense of competitiveness is allowed to undermine our wish to care for, and support, each other.

“What we know gives us satisfaction is connection with, and support of, other people”, says Michael Brodie who would rather see a ‘cult of care and support’ than the Internet’s pervasive cult of egocentricity, individualism and polarised opinion.

That said, he does however believe that people are truly trying to do their best, however mis-guided their behaviour seems to be. A sentiment shared by Martha Lane-Fox who agrees that “everyone is trying to do their best and make things work”.

“There is an increasing awareness of the fact that we really need to do something and to do that together,” she added.

‘Together’ is surely the key to any successful shift in a socially intelligent’ society that wishes to be enlightened and arise from the mud. And together, let’s co-create a happy and prosperous 2019 with a brighter, less murky Internet...

Hear our podcast here: Listen to "Dealing with 'Dark and Muddy Tech' - An OurNet 'ONversation' 28-12-18" on Spreaker.

Original BBC article: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-46675680