Some great questions and reflections on technology and the web.<\/p>\n
Reshared post from +Ben Werdmuller<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Something I've been thinking about over the last few weeks:<\/p>\n Is the technology industry a force for good in the world?<\/b><\/p>\n The promise is that technology empowers and democratizes, and particularly on the web, I buy into that. It's changed the world in some very important, very good ways. But consider:<\/p>\n We're seriously eroding our users' privacy.<\/b> For many of us, that doesn't matter very much in our own lives. But it's the kind of thing that could erode our freedom<\/i> should we find ourselves in a less privileged position – and many people do, today.<\/p>\n The web itself is being eroded into a commercial tool dominated by a few key players.<\/b><\/p>\n We're defining people by the products they consume – and asking them to define themselves in the same way.<\/b> Like<\/i> your favorite albums, brands, pages, corporations, and post it on your profile so we can see what kind of a person you are.<\/p>\n We're one of the most energy-hungry industries on the planet.<\/b> Right now, 2% of all the electricity used in the United States goes on server farms, and it's increasing at a rate of 10% each year.<\/p>\n Most of the devices we push are made using environmentally unfriendly manufacturing processes, in adverse conditions by people well below the poverty line.<\/b> While we empower our users, our lifestyle is made possible by people who have to all intents and purposes been disenfranchised.<\/p>\n It's a bleak picture, but the game isn't over yet. More and more, I find myself drawn back to the principles of open source, participative activism and social entrepreneurship. It's not too late to turn this ship around.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Google+:<\/strong> View post on Google+<\/a><\/p>\n