Discussion
We are having an anti-technological moment.
* spy camera glasses
* datacenters: the physical plant
* AI slop proliferation
* AI assisted mental health criseses
* spy cameras in public spaces (flock and others)
* social media consolidation and control
But, of course it isn't really about the technology itself, it almost never is, it's about HOW and to/for WHO the technology is being deployed. And it's about the absence of a clear WHY.
So I have to ask "is this really new?"
Most of the trends are rather old. You don't need cameras, AI or wifi to make a panopticon. And at this point we all have experience with these systems. This is why no one is really even discussing "but what if FLOCK cameras can reduce crime and make us safer?" -- we already know that's not what this is about.
No one is going to track down your stolen bike with those cameras.
Abusers will use them to find their victims. Powerful people will use them to make lists of enemies of the state.
Employers will use them to decide who is really efficient, who is taking too long on their lunch break.
A man watching kids play at the park with camera glasses isn't going to send a video to Grandma of his kid doing an amazing jump. We don't even want to think about what he's up to.
It's hard to imagine or expect anything good coming from any of this technology.
@futurebird sight and/or hearing impaired people say the glasses are a life saver. They can describe what they see or add subtitles to chats.
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