022: Tyranny Of The Majority
From the pages of Violet Summer Zine Issue 11 on Crypto & Urban Sustainability
The emergence of technology in our lives has been seen as a threat to our way of living. We’ve been told that “robots are going to steal our jobs,” “artificial intelligence will bring about the end of the world,” and “the Internet is going to ruin our children.” It’s not surprising that many have fallen into entertaining messages of fear, doubt, and division. But we need to get ahead of the curve and use it to our advantage -- to improve our lives. And yet, it's hard to convince people to adopt and use it to optimize the future. We need to lean into the unknown and take risks with discernment. Everything that's beautiful, is not always good for you. Trust your gut and move with strategy. Stay ahead of the curve.
Today in the United States, we’ve been slow at establishing digital rights. We do not have a data protection law that prevents companies from collecting sensitive information about how we interact and selling it to third parties for profit Facebook is ruining everything at this point. It was only until recently that websites have slowly adopted cookie policies for web development and digital marketing businesses. They have to be GDPR compliant. It has been put in place in response to the EU E-Privacy Directive. There's no way to really crack down on companies using information they collect about us to their advantage. We do not have laws that prevent government agencies from collecting sensitive information about us especially in regard to violent acts of domestic and foreign terrorism. It's up to the FBI/CIA to respond, and then we have to pray for justice. We are not powerless against this state of affairs. The right to privacy is one of the most important rights we have as human beings.
Besides, we use the Internet more and more for things like shopping, socializing in VR, and accessing vital services. We are getting used to the idea of handing over vast quantities of data to companies in exchange for convenience. But as we move into a world of VR and AR experiences, we need a community to watch out for us in the metaverse.
Interacting in VR will become mass adopted as more companies build programs to be more inclusive to people with disabilities, but we must beware of the harmful behavior that can ensue while traversing the metaverse. With Facebook's Horizon Workrooms are making waves in the business space, to VR Chat taking over the gamer culture, we'll be in a vulnerable position not to think about safety and security first.
In the standard online model, you go to a server and download a program or buy a device. In the VR model, you step inside a program in a virtual space. If you want to talk to someone here, you have to be there too. Your body is as much your avatar as your clothing or voice or typing speed. Unless we provide ways of managing this vulnerability, entire classes of people will remain excluded from all experiences except that of being tormented online. Our collective responsibility is to keep asking questions and don't stop saying "no." Opt-out for god sake! Challenge the information we are given at face value and always assess the entire situationship. It is about nuance. We can also start to enforce and protect digital rights within our own organizations. I believe that respect for data privacy and confidentiality is a fundamental right to online collaboration.
The tyranny of the majority may very well be a threat to our individualism, but it is the very nature of society, and as we know it, the foundation of liberty.
Furthermore, we need to embrace a zero tech waste program. Disposing of electronics, decreasing radiation, and getting rid of bullets and other harsh objects is a must in our urban communities. Growing up in the inner-city, I remember finding a bombshell capsule of sorts in someone’s yard across the street from my house. It was more or less a piece of abandoned metal. But the cops made us “evacuate for a few hours” in the middle of a hot summer day. Our communities have a right to exist in a clean environment, to maintain natural elements, and not be destroyed by big tech mining rigs. We can adopt eco-friendly blockchains like Tezos and Solana. Let the trees grow and the squirrels roam free. We have to find ways to power our technology other than abusing the planet and shooting up the block.
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