I’m subscribed to Tobias van Schneider newsletter and I really enjoyed the introductory text on the last one. It’s a nice reflection on the impact that technology has on our lifes… for better and for worse. Have a look:
“The slow creep of ephemeral mediocrity
Open the app. Scroll. See a baby photo, a selfie paired with a poem, somebody’s dinner.
Keep scrolling.
See a meme. Hit like. Type LOL, face muscles unmoving.
Continue to scroll: Past a latte, an ad campaign, a polished photo shoot. Past more stolen memes and recycled jokes and sponsored posts.
Like. Scroll. Comment. Like. Scroll.
As the eyes glaze over, the program runs on autopilot. The thumb persists in its mission, a movement memorized in the muscles, mechanical.
Not long ago, it was the job of human brains. But brains required more: A story, an original idea, a twist, a punchline, a strategy, a journey, a hero. The program humans previously ran on – powered by emotion and imagination and taste and individuality – is now antiquated, rendered obsolete by The Algorithm.
Corporations have saved billions on advertising. Why produce a high quality video with a unique idea when a meme will do? Why labor over an ad campaign when they can retweet an influencer? Why spend 150 hours on a project when 15 minutes is plenty?
Why put effort into the work when it will be buried in an instant?
Like. Scroll. Comment. Like. Scroll.
In the new world, that’s all that’s required. No ad campaigns that double as high art. No hours spent kicking ideas around as a team, waiting for that magical aha moment. No late nights editing, putting the finishing touches on a project six months in the making. Hard work and deep thought is dated and unnecessary when “good enough” will do just as well
Humans adapted quickly, without question, to this new world. The automated program runs smoothly. The Algorithm takes care of the rest.”
— Tobias van Schneider It’s up to us to protect ourselves. To make conscious decisions. To control the technology and not the other way around.
