Hello, reader. I’m Synxiec, the somewhat-official op-ed writer for DCA. This isn’t so much an article, but rather an intro to my perspective as a writer and what forms the basis of my current opinions on tech because that determines what I talk about, why, and from what perspective. With the times being what they are, that knowledge is more important than ever and I do not mind being upfront about it.
I’m a data analyst who has worked in the tech space for more nearly 20 years (primarily in the online education space). With that time comes experience and a number of observations that have eventually become beliefs. Let’s talk about the ones that shape what I will be writing in future articles.
Technology is never neutral
For all the time I have existed in the industry, people speak about the particular ways in which technology evolves as if they are events that happen to us rather than something we actively participate in one way or another. That technology – and those companies or people that create them – are apolitical, neutral entities that just someone produce things like Artificial Intelligence, iPhones, laptops, biometric scanners, and so on.
Every single one of these things is made by people. That means they bring their thoughts, creativity, and determination to each and every thing they make. That also means they will bring their biases and prejudices. From your operating systems to the games on your phone, nothing reaches us without some intention. With that, let’s talk about freedom.
Curiosity is essential to freedom
The tech, media, and so on we are immersed in also has real world impact. People have to build things, make hiring decisions (or non-hiring decisions as we are seeing lately), and so on. As we watch changes in the industry, in the market, in the services we use, etc. it can be easy to forget that we are also here and involved in these things as consumers. I have had a few too many conversations that become some form of “well, that’s just the market” or “that’s just how companies work” or “I mean… that’s capitalism” (this particular one is true).
That type of thinking – that the tech industry is just happening to us like some canon event – is what keeps us in wave after wave of news articles about strikes, lawsuits, and layoffs. Who bothers to question what they do not feel they can control or change?
Add to this the constant wear on our minds of capitalism and the economy of attention and we get this. The way out of this is asking a lot of intentional questions and often in a world that often encourages us to ask less.
Who is making things? What are they making them for? Do they profit from this monetarily or in some other way? Are these people aligned with my vision for the world? Are these companies good to and for my communities?
This is by no means an exhaustive list, so by all means, add to it. As you do, remember that the questions are only a part of the journey. The other part is being brave enough to do something with the answers. Ideally, the answers move you toward empathy, courage, and compassion.
We will not change what we cannot care about
Look at the current discourse around DEI initiatives, what’s getting cancelled after a season or two on Max, or the password sharing changes coming to Disney+. The simple throughline is that, while it is a very difficult thing to change these sorts of things, we can do a lot more than we might imagine when we care and get organized.
If we don’t care about it, we don’t ask questions. We don’t seek answers. We don’t engage our communities. We don’t change our decisions about where our dollars go.
We get more companies reminding us that the glimpse of what could be from the 2020 landscape is something they can choose to give or withdraw at will rather than something we can and will have from them for our good and hopefully for the good of the environment and the world. If I could have my choice of anything as you read these op-eds, I want you to give enough of a damn to go “What part can I do?” and then link up with others who are asking the same questions. If you need a starting place, you can catch me on Mastodon or with the crew of Tech Talk Thursday on Twitch.
I leave the comments to you and I hope there are many. It will keep me from falling asleep at the desk. 😂
