Silicon Valley has a solution for everything, but who do its ideas really serve? Every Thursday, Paris Marx is joined by a new guest to critically examine the tech industry, its thought leaders, and the worldview it spreads. They challenge the notion that tech alone can drive our world forward by showing that separating tech from politics has consequences for us all, especially the most vulnerable. But if tech won't save us, what will? This podcast isn't simply about tearing tech down; it also presents radical ideas for tech designed for human flourishing instead of surveillance, acquisitions, or to boost stock prices. A better world is possible, and so is better technology.
Don’t Fall for Mark Zuckerberg’s Rebrand w/ Karl Bode
Paris Marx is joined by Karl Bode to discuss how Mark Zuckerberg's makeover and the PR campaign that’s accompanied it shouldn’t distract from the ongoing harms of his company.
Karl Bode is a freelance tech journalist and consumer rights reporter.
Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon.
The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Eric Wickham. Transcripts are by Brigitte Pawliw-Fry.
Also mentioned in this episode:
- Paris wrote about the problem with the “Zuckessance” for Disconnect.
- The New York Times published an article about the political evolution of Mark Zuckerberg.
- Facebook’s Free Basics was widely called out for being a form of digital colonialism.
- Joel Kaplan was a key figure within Facebook defending right-wing content from effective moderation.
- Neil Postman wrote the book Amusing Ourselves to Death in 1985.