Response I
This is a reading response to this article:
Rich User Experience, UX and Desktopization of War
I will admit, I struggled a bit with this reading. However, I think at its core I agree with
what is being said, but I don’t know if I agree with all of it. It is true that we are no longer
as in control of our experiences on the internet, but I wonder if that is a bad thing in all regards.
Yes, being out of touch with what is truly happening around us is a bad thing, if we are always faced
with illusions, what real experience can we have? However, is it also not bad if such an important and
powerful tool is only in the hands of those who already have so much more power over us? While the article
also seems to argue that still is bad, and on many points I agree, however, by giving up the freedom of
creating our own websites and limiting our expression, we can borrow another’s space and find ourselves
more connected with barriers to entry being knocked down.
Now granted, I may very well be the illusioned fool for thinking that a worthy trade,
but maybe less rich experiences can be worth it in some regards? With more ease of access
I now have access to far more opportunities than I had before. By putting my
thoughts on a social media site instead of my own domain I can reach people easier.
By having much of the heavy lifting done for me I can now find the answers and knowledge
I need for some project another significantly faster with far more options to choose from.
However, maybe my thinking is dangerous. After all, by becoming comfortable with that I
am now at the mercy of algorithms and often find my privacy stripped away. Maybe I am just
nihilistic to think that was inevitable anyway. Maybe the pushed interactions are worse
than if I had never had any at all. Maybe if more had been wary things would be better.
Maybe the change the internet faced was more neutral than the positive change people sold
it as or the negative thing others dreaded. I think I lean more towards there was give
and take and what we have now is both better and worse.
Though taking that thinking into the author’s last subject feels odd to say the least.
It seems gross to take away the feeling of taking another person’s life, to let them be
detached from the most permanent and impactful decision that can be made. Turning matters
of life and death into a game of sorts and normalizing it feels like a twisting of humanity
that should have never been done. But then as a product of the world I live in, I wonder if
it really is a totally bad decision, because all that seems to be changing is that those
soldiers can sleep easier at night. After all, were they the ones who decided to take that life,
or were they simple cogs in the machine to carry that decision out, a cog that could have been so
easily replaced had it tried to stop the turn? In the bleakest sense, it seems this was
the natural progression in humanities aspirations to find newer and better ways of killing one another.
I can see why we often choose to live in the illusions, reality,
and the helpless feelings we have against it, is often too hard to stomach.
Maybe that is why we so desperately seek connection,
it is the only way we seem to find power.
My reaction probably ended up well off the mark of what was actually being said,
but this is where my thoughts went after reading the article,
so whether I made a mistake or not, this is where I shall plant my claims.
Response II
This is a reading response to these articles:
Something Happened By Us: A Demonology The Universal The Neon God
These Readings are nothing short of at least a little strange (and that is likely a severe understatement honestly).
However, they are certainly thought provoking. From a Christian perspective I do believe it is important not to
underestimate the power and presence of spirituality and spiritual forces, though, there is still very much a
balance between worldly and spiritual causes and effects. From a secular perspective, I think it is still very
much important to know the influence the internet has on us.
In regards to Something Happened By Us: A Demonology I think the idea of stopping to consider what is driving
our actions and emotions on the internet is a very practical and useful suggestion. I don’t know if I subscribe to
the idea that it is demonic forces, but I don’t dismiss the idea either, at least for some cases. However, in a place
where our actions and emotions are always trying to be influenced, thinking about why we feel compelled to feel or act
a certain way is vital. Everyone has an intention when they post something. Oftentimes that is to gain attention and
validation, which can cause a whole mess of emotions on its own. Sometimes it doesn’t matter to the poster at all if
the attention is good or bad, and thus the existence of “rage bait” where the goal is to make you mad. Companies
also have clear intentions with their sites and platforms, which is to make money, it is pertinent there to question
the length of usage and purchases you are tempted with in the app or website. Everyone wants something, make sure you
know what it is before you act. Otherwise, you may have regrets later.
The Universal and The Neon God are certainly interesting readings, that while they feel a bit
“fearmonger-y” do I think still have interesting points. It is certainly concerning that we rush so headlong into
developing something that we disregard safety and concrete understanding. However, that feels less special
than Kingsnorth seems to paint it. That feels like a tale as old as time, a tale of human pride and greed. Where
throughout history time and time again we’ve rushed into new developments disregarding the consequences, no matter
how dire. Safety and protections lagged far behind the industrial revolution, creating what was certainly a bleak
and dire looking time for many. Additionally, it is no mistake that so many developments were made for use in war,
the internet itself was born of an institution of violence. Which is not to say that these things are not concerning,
as so many strides in technological development did have dire and devastating consequences on people. Consequences
where many times, if ever safety was a priority things may have been avoided.
So considering that view, it is harder for me to view the internet in a more demonic light,
because to me, it just feels so completely and utterly human.
The way I see it, misguided or not, the internet feels like such a clear and powerful reflection of humanity.
Oftentimes in looking at the bigger picture, the only thing visible is the dark side of human nature (or our sin nature).
It doesn’t help that it is also a clear example of the corrupting nature of power (or attractive nature of power to those
already corrupt). That in of itself may make the internet a darker place since those with power have more influence, but
personally I don’t feel like I escape that influence much in the real world either considering the influence of political
and economic leaders.
However, that’s looking at the big picture. When you step back and detach yourself, it is so incredibly easy to get lost
in all the dark and bleak things in this world. It becomes so easy to “doomspiral” and catastrophize. Honestly, no one
could even blame you. However, day to day in our small encounters and with the people we care about, it becomes easier
to see the good in humanity and the world. There is danger in both naive optimism and cynical negativity.
Now, I don’t necessarily disagree with what Kingsnorth talks about in his articles. I think that there is a very dystopian
bleakness in the idea of taking humanity out of spirituality, and overall this obsession many seem to have with replacing
human creativity. While I don’t know if I consider AI to be close to being a sentient threat to humanity (even things that
AI says that seems scary, while definitely still concerning, I remember that these models are taught by feeding it as much
information as possible, which means it tries to copy what a human might say or characterize an AI saying) I do still
certainly see it as a concerning act of pride to feel obligated to continue working on something they think could be such
a monumental threat in the name of “progress.”
I think Kingsnorth has the right idea of what we are to do about the issues of technology. Having good boundaries with our
technology use is vital. Discipline is so necessary in all of our lives that the idea of not having boundaries with something
that can be so addictive and destructive is absurd. Maybe not necessary to ever be as extreme as he or his ideal model is,
but anything helps.
When I look at the dark side of technology I don’t necessarily see demons.
Maybe I’m the fool for that, but what I see is human nature.
Maybe some of those people are being negatively influenced.
However, what I primarily see is "basic" human wrath, sloth, greed, and pride.
Frankly, demons or not, I do think it is important that we slow down from time to time,
especially before acting rashly,and question what is driving us.
No matter what the answer is, we should remain aware of it.
The Digital Panacea
Exploring Electracy
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