This Is Just the Beginning

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Big Tech is getting big attention.

From data breaches to ill-conceived handling of election-related meddling, the industry has been caught with its tunic down. Or with no tunic at all, since attention isn’t on anything related to the past and proven human nature, but rather only on the technical.

From China to the EU, entire countries are beginning to strike back against overly-powerful tech companies. Meanwhile, the biggest red flag coming out of Silicon Valley is that none of the people in charge of making tech products want their kids using them.

They’ve recognized the negative impact that technology can have on children. To be clear, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard the warning raised about being saturated with information. Dr. Conrad Gessner was an early proponent of less technology.

And yet younger people are better at telling factual news from opinions than older generations. Perhaps it’s because they’re more digitally-savvy. Or because they haven’t spent as much time with media to develop a sense of mistrust.

One thing is for certain: in a world with less Facebook, people are primed to seek out content directly from the source.

And in the end, that may be a great benefit to publishers — and to mankind.

About this week’s image: J.M.W. Turner’s Dido Building Carthage is possibly his greatest work. Dido was of the queen and founder of Carthage, who fell in love with Aeneas on his way to Rome. The painting includes a flimsy toy boat, signifying Carthage’s naval inferiority, and the tomb of Dido’s husband, hinting at the future destiny of Carthage. Via The Athenaeum (public domain).