Published Date 12/8/12 6:56 PM
Geek culture has always had a strong anti-progressive side, and this is now becoming dominant. It shows up as political naivety alongside an obsession with over-complex “solutions” to what are fundamentally social problems.
#NGO culture, by contrast, operates in an anti-commons space – a dog-eat-dog struggle for survival driven by short-term funding criteria rather than long-term social value.
Traditional left political parties and unions are stuck on the defensive. When they do step out of the trenches to act, they often end up adopting the priorities of NGOs or geek culture, rather than building their own grounded path.
Technology has huge potential to shape our future in progressive ways. But it also has a dark side – one that can be used to repress and control. It is this unchallenged dark side that we are currently drifting toward.
If you want to help use technology for positive social change, have a look at this project – we need people with all kinds of skills.
