When infrastructure fails — planes crash, systems freeze, rights vanish — suddenly everyone cares. Villanova’s Brett Frischmann rejoins Hearsay Culture to explain how tech design, digital contracts, and AI are wired for speed, not sense — and why that’s a problem. He calls for a radical rethink: more friction, less hype, and real consent — if that’s possible — in the digital world. From infinite scroll to forced arbitration, this episode exposes how platforms quietly control our choices — and what it’ll take to start regaining some control.
“There’s often an emphasis on building new stuff. The latest, the greatest, the most innovative, the thing that I’m gonna get credit for … And there’s less emphasis on maintenance and repair, like keeping the things that already exist up to date, well-functioning. There’s a lack of attention to the maintenance and care .. function of already existing infrastructures.” — Brett Frischmann
“The resulting features of high-quality infrastructure can stand not just as pillars of transportation, but cathedrals of democracy.” —
Photo by Dex Ezekiel on Unsplash
See the interview video on Youtube!
