EPISODE

In recent decades, Silicon Valley has driven a rosy narrative about the benefits of technology. However, this mindset has blurred–and often overlooked–widespread societal inequities and marginalization. In his book “Your Computer is on Fire,” Benjamin Peters and his co-authors elucidate how our technological infrastructure has intertwined with our daily lives, giving rise to “large-scale consequences of Silicon Valley.”. Delving into energy-intensive server farms, biased algorithms, and corporate behavior, Dave and Benjamin dive into the perils of technophilia and why tech utopianism is at an end.

“Apple has brought about great things. I’m surrounded by their products, but I also see that our democracy, our politics, our history, and our globalization instincts may not be better for it. And that is the consequence of real knowledge.” 

-Benjamin Peters

“Technological progress has merely provided us with more efficient means for going backwards.”

-Aldous Huxley 

Lead Photo by Ahmed Zayan on Unsplash