Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Humane Technology

#1

Post by stanleydrew » Sun, Feb 04, 2018, 6:56 PM UTC

Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Humane Technology
nytimes.com

Re: Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Humane Technology

#2

Post by rhizome » Sun, Feb 04, 2018, 7:33 PM UTC

"It will be aimed at educating students, parents and teachers about the dangers of technology, including the depression that can come from heavy use of social media."

So, treating the symptoms rather than the disease, and at any rate nothing to do with these companies' pervasive and invasive data practices. Maybe they still have positions in their former employers, I don't know, but following the money will have to be a task for the future.

All I can say is, "good luck." I'm sure some good speaker fees and book deals will come of this.

Re: Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Humane Technology

#3

Post by amirmc » Sun, Feb 04, 2018, 7:33 PM UTC

Nice idea but I think this is only really going to change when either the incentives change (i.e. not ad-based) or there’s legislation/regulation of some kind.

Until then, the BigCos will keep doing what they’re doing, because that’s how everything is set up.

Re: Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Humane Technology

#4

Post by dang » Sun, Feb 04, 2018, 7:34 PM UTC

rhizome wrote: post #2

"It will be aimed at educating students, parents and teachers about the dangers of technology, including the depression that can come from heavy use of social media." So, treating the symptoms rather than the disease, and at any rate nothing to do with these companies' pervasive and invasive data practices. Maybe they still have positions in their former employers, I don't know, but following the money will have to b…

Please don't post reflexively dismissive comments to HN, especially when talking about other people's work, and extra-especially when it's the first comment to a thread. You might have a good point, but the genre itself drowns it out in a medium-is-the-message way. Discussions are sensitive to initial conditions and we're hoping that HN can be better than that.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Re: Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Humane Technology

#5

Post by tw1010 » Sun, Feb 04, 2018, 7:35 PM UTC

Their hearts are probably in the right place, but I wonder if there's a more effective strategy than what they're suggesting; trying to teach teens about the dangers of tech via ads. That hasn't been a very effective strategy historically. If anything, it feels like it just produces the opposite desired effect.

Re: Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Humane Technology

#6

Post by fancyfacebook » Sun, Feb 04, 2018, 7:36 PM UTC

Is there any trend currently for young people or new college grads to avoid these huge manipulative companies like Facebook or Google? I honestly have no idea, I haven't talked to a student or recent grad in awhile, but after the events of the past 24 months I wonder what a 20 year old pondering internships thinks about all this?

When I graduated in '98 the most "cool" thing was to work for the biggest name possible (so Microsoft or IBM at the time), but I imagine things have changed.