The Coming Anti-Tech Counterculture
1–10 of 76 posts
Re: The Coming Anti-Tech Counterculture
#2The summary isn't much more than common sense from people who understand technology and the web enough to tell the good from the bad, as opposed to the majority of people (from all walks of life). This is happening today largely through internet freedom activism and the like, as spotlighted recently.
I'd think for something to be labeled a next great counterculture it would have to go further, as in a neo neo-Luddite movement, possibly shunning consumerism altogether and having this weird duality of knowing a great deal about technology yet living with as few of it as possible. Though of course it would soon gobble up masses of hipsters following it, with no idea whatsoever of why they're doing so.
Re: The Coming Anti-Tech Counterculture
#3The anti-technology counter-culture is pretty widespread already.
I don't have a facebook page because of their policies and attitude toward privacy.
And that is 'anti-technology lite'. I know a guy who bought a goat and honey farm and literally lived in a hole in the ground for a few years until he could get his mud hut built.
But, ultimately, technology is useful and those that don't utilize it will be at a disadvantage.
I, for example, promised my wife I would go ahead and re-activate my facebook account soon so she could stop relaying messages to me. Utility conquers all.
Re: The Coming Anti-Tech Counterculture
#4It's so hilarious to see people write things like this as if they have discovered or thought of something novel. Have they not read any of the major cyberpunk or sci-fi novels of the past century? Have they not studied any history of technology? The article doesn't mention Luddites even once.
Personally I view anti-technology, anti-progress, and anti-intellectualism as perhaps the greatest threats to our society. I want to get as close to a Ghost in the Shell-like world as possible in my lifetime, and those forces are directly in the way.
Re: The Coming Anti-Tech Counterculture
#5The anti-technology counter-culture is pretty widespread already. I don't have a facebook page because of their policies and attitude toward privacy. And that is 'anti-technology lite'. I know a guy who bought a goat and honey farm and literally lived in a hole in the ground for a few years until he could get his mud hut built. But, ultimately, technology is useful and those that don't utilize it will be at a disadva…
I am not sure it is accurate to call Facebook a "technology," any more than it is accurate to call driving from your house to work a "technology." Facebook is built on technology, but you are using that same technology when you post a comment on HN. Not using Facebook is kind of like only driving to pick up groceries, and riding a bicycle to work.
Re: The Coming Anti-Tech Counterculture
#6It's so hilarious to see people write things like this as if they have discovered or thought of something novel. Have they not read any of the major cyberpunk or sci-fi novels of the past century? Have they not studied any history of technology? The article doesn't mention Luddites even once. Personally I view anti-technology, anti-progress, and anti-intellectualism as perhaps the greatest threats to our society. I w…
Jesus.
Maybe OP doesn't like sci-fi, and so no he hasn't read any of those books. I'm a nerd and I probably haven't read most of the books that you were bouncing around in your head when you made this comment.
And he never claimed to be Socrates. He simply had an insight and chose to share it.
Why so angry?
Re: The Coming Anti-Tech Counterculture
#7The anti-technology counter-culture is pretty widespread already. I don't have a facebook page because of their policies and attitude toward privacy. And that is 'anti-technology lite'. I know a guy who bought a goat and honey farm and literally lived in a hole in the ground for a few years until he could get his mud hut built. But, ultimately, technology is useful and those that don't utilize it will be at a disadva…
> The anti-technology counter-culture is pretty widespread already.
Your anti-technology example isn't really an anti-technology example.
> I don't have a facebook page because of their policies and attitude toward privacy.
But your not having a Facebook page isn't an objection to technology, it's an objection to Facebook's privacy policies, which isn't a technological issue.
> And that is 'anti-technology lite'.
Not really. If you were unwilling to have an airplane-style black box in your car that recorded your every move, would that choice be based on your attitude toward privacy, or your attitude toward technology?
If you were the leader of an Al-Qaeda cell in Pakistan, would you refuse to use a satellite telephone because (a) you didn't want to be blown up by a drone strike, or (b) you were against modern technology?
Not all rejections of technology are based on a rejection of the technology itself -- there are other equally valid reasons.
Re: The Coming Anti-Tech Counterculture
#8It's so hilarious to see people write things like this as if they have discovered or thought of something novel. Have they not read any of the major cyberpunk or sci-fi novels of the past century? Have they not studied any history of technology? The article doesn't mention Luddites even once. Personally I view anti-technology, anti-progress, and anti-intellectualism as perhaps the greatest threats to our society. I w…
> "I want to get as close to a Ghost in the Shell-like world as possible in my lifetime"
GITS is not exactly a ringing endorsement of its own universe. We're talking about a universe where indentured servitude is the norm, xenophobia runs rampant, entire people are hacked and puppeteered by blackhats, the class divide is wider than ever, and there are constant, violent clashes between the techno-elite and the have-nothings who rely literally on scrap cybernetic implants to survive. And in all of this, no one is safe - even the rich - everyone is subject to the whims of hackers on both sides of the law.
Re: The Coming Anti-Tech Counterculture
#9This is much more common than you'd think. The reason you don't hear more about it is that these people don't use the internet, so it's not like they're going to tweet or blog about it.
Re: The Coming Anti-Tech Counterculture
#10The anti-technology counter-culture is pretty widespread already. I don't have a facebook page because of their policies and attitude toward privacy. And that is 'anti-technology lite'. I know a guy who bought a goat and honey farm and literally lived in a hole in the ground for a few years until he could get his mud hut built. But, ultimately, technology is useful and those that don't utilize it will be at a disadva…
> The anti-technology counter-culture is pretty widespread already. Your anti-technology example isn't really an anti-technology example. > I don't have a facebook page because of their policies and attitude toward privacy. But your not having a Facebook page isn't an objection to technology, it's an objection to Facebook's privacy policies, which isn't a technological issue. > And that is 'anti-technology lite'. Not…
Your objections apply just as well to the article.
The author is a bit all over the map, but seems to say the counter-culture will reject, not any particular piece of technology because it is technology, but because of how it influences your life or because of how a particular company that controls that technology operates.