> Just coz they fail somewhere does not mean they are bad.
But looking at the bigger picture is not especially favorable to Google et al:
Back in the 1980s, technology was advancing at a dizzying pace, and the world seemed on its way to peace, freedom, and brotherly love.
Today the world has a dis/misinformation crisis, and authoritarianism is rising.
Even if none of that is the fault of Google and social media, it casts doubt on the benefit of today's internet. How great can it be, given the state the world?
I think you may be missing the forest for the trees, no offense intended.
The world is still on its way to peace, freedom and love.
What has happened is that the new communication paradigm surfaced truths that there were before but not acknowledged. Violence against blacks didn't start with Rodney King and didn't end with Jacob Blake. There were there before, and they got pushed into the spotlight exactly by the advancing technology of the Internet: videocameras, cell phones, search, video distribution, forums, etc.
We are in the midst of the most important revolution of humankind - the knowledge revolution. Like the agricultural and industrial revolutions before, it's going to turn up the society on its head, and it won't be pretty. But the society that follows will be way better that the one we have now.
That is an attractive theory, which I also held for a long time. Sadly, as I see it, the world is not playing ball. There comes a point where you have to face the world as it is, not as it is supposed to be.
I still think technology has equal potential for good, as it does for bad. I hope our industry will adapt, to tilt the balance back to the former.
I'll leave it at that. I wrote and deleted several longer replies to your comment, but they all wound up sounding even more condescending :)
Back in the 1980s, technology was advancing at a dizzying pace, and the world seemed on its way to peace, freedom, and brotherly love.
Today the world has a dis/misinformation crisis, and authoritarianism is rising.
Even if none of that is the fault of Google and social media, it casts doubt on the benefit of today's internet. How great can it be, given the state the world?