Ask HN: What are unintended consequences of new tech you've noticed? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: What are unintended consequences of new tech you've noticed?

#11

Post by officeplant » Fri, Oct 25, 2019, 7:01 PM UTC

haylel wrote: post #4

When you're about to get a message on your cellphone and it interferes with nearby speakers and makes weird chirping noises.

Ah yes, unshielded speakers and cellphones. The terrible noise in the early 2000s letting me know my parents were calling the cellphone they gave me for college in order to force me to keep in touch.

Re: Ask HN: What are unintended consequences of new tech you've noticed?

#12

Post by willj » Fri, Oct 25, 2019, 7:01 PM UTC

Everyone is oblivious to their surroundings. Whether it’s because they’re looking down at their smartphone or listening to a podcast or music on their AirPods, people aren’t paying attention to what’s happening around them, and they are walking out into streets without looking for cars, assuming no one is coming. I bike most places, and the number of pedestrians (and other bicyclists!) who can’t hear my bike bell is astounding.

Re: Ask HN: What are unintended consequences of new tech you've noticed?

#13

Post by ratsimihah » Fri, Oct 25, 2019, 7:02 PM UTC

I was just thinking on the tube how Steve Jobs wanted to put a computer on everyone's desks, but he ended up putting one in everyone's hands and now we're all crooked and staring down like Quasimodo.

Re: Ask HN: What are unintended consequences of new tech you've noticed?

#14

Post by officeplant » Fri, Oct 25, 2019, 7:03 PM UTC

iamben wrote: post #5

Something I've noticed a huge amount over the last couple of years in particular - no one has any change for the homeless / those on the streets / those collecting for charity. Contactless has been a 'thing' for a while now, but it really seemed to kick up a gear when phones and watches had wallets and the buses and a decent amount of restaurants went 'card only'.

Having been almost 100% cashless for the last decade it's only a matter of time before homeless people use contactless payments as an attempt to defeat my excuses.

Re: Ask HN: What are unintended consequences of new tech you've noticed?

#15

Post by hprotagonist » Fri, Oct 25, 2019, 7:03 PM UTC

iamben wrote: post #5

Something I've noticed a huge amount over the last couple of years in particular - no one has any change for the homeless / those on the streets / those collecting for charity. Contactless has been a 'thing' for a while now, but it really seemed to kick up a gear when phones and watches had wallets and the buses and a decent amount of restaurants went 'card only'.

I carry cash specifically for largesse/almsgiving and basically nothing else.

Re: Ask HN: What are unintended consequences of new tech you've noticed?

#16

Post by Charlie_26 » Fri, Oct 25, 2019, 7:06 PM UTC

danschumann wrote: post #8

I'm miserable and all the tech that has "enabled me to do anything" has made everything seem arbitrary. If you can do anything, why do anything?

Uhhh, can you elaborate on this? Tech has enabled you to do anything?

Re: Ask HN: What are unintended consequences of new tech you've noticed?

#17

Post by amiga_500 » Fri, Oct 25, 2019, 7:06 PM UTC

Computers have made tracking huge quantities of debt feasible which itself is sold as collateral which exists only electronically, allowing private banks to issue usd credit irrespective of the fed.

This has made land prices track productivity, leaving most on the breadline forever.

Re: Ask HN: What are unintended consequences of new tech you've noticed?

#18

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Oct 25, 2019, 7:06 PM UTC

officeplant wrote: post #14

iamben wrote: post #5

Something I've noticed a huge amount over the last couple of years in particular - no one has any change for the homeless / those on the streets / those collecting for charity. Contactless has been a 'thing' for a while now, but it really seemed to kick up a gear when phones and watches had wallets and the buses and a decent amount of restaurants went 'card only'.

Having been almost 100% cashless for the last decade it's only a matter of time before homeless people use contactless payments as an attempt to defeat my excuses.

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: What are unintended consequences of new tech you've noticed?

#19

Post by kliao » Fri, Oct 25, 2019, 7:10 PM UTC

Historically, misinformation spread due to lack of reliable communications technology (news took a while to travel around the world). Now, misplaced trust in media and abuse of technology spread misinformation.

Re: Ask HN: What are unintended consequences of new tech you've noticed?

#20

Post by ghoshbishakh » Fri, Oct 25, 2019, 7:11 PM UTC

diego_moita wrote: post #6

Like social networks breeding political stupidity, mob rule and demagoguery?

Exactly. Political parties spend most on social networking teams now! look at India! Entire elections are based on fake news spread on social networks. Nobody cares about healthcare, economy, jobs and of course education. Obviously if you educate people then they will start judging everything rationally just like we are doing on this thread ;)