Posts With Tag: philosophy

Our current tech age is, in some ways, analogous to what previous generations faced with industrialization. Like the Industrial Revolution, narratives of progress through technology are met with labor upheavals, inequality, and alienation.

In the 19th Century, William Morris responded to the “dark Satanic Mills” of industrialization by calling for social reform and upholding the medieval idea of craft. To counter tech disenchantment in our own time, we can consider whether Morris’s legacy can inspire today’s digital economy.

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Tech companies have marketed a progressive image of their organizations and brands. Recent events, such as mass layoffs and reports of toxic work cultures, have brought long-overdue discussions and critiques of this sector into the mainstream.

We can hope that this pushback will lead to positive changes. However, it is difficult to find the language to describe what the modern tech industry even is. Terms like “technofeudalism” help explain the big-picture role of tech monopolies in the global economy. Still, there is also a need to understand and express the day-to-day experiences of workers.

As a tech worker, I’ve often asked myself, “What if Simone Weil worked in tech?”

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