Technology Is Driving Us All Insane
You guys see it too, right?
For the audio version of this article, read by the author, go here.
When it comes to my electronic devices, I’ve had a difficult few weeks.
I spent hours trying to find out why I suddenly couldn’t play my iTunes computer content on a TV — only to finally reach an actual customer service person who, after an hour or so, eventually discovered that this was simply iTunes’ new “anti-piracy” policy.
Google “updated” my Pixel phone, which caused my battery to hold almost no charge. To compensate me, they offered $50 USD, but to get it, I had to upload my financial information to a third-party website that my bank insisted was very high risk. Stupidly, I spent way more than $50 worth of my time battling Google to just send me a Goddamn check, which they never did.
And applying for a new credit card, Michael and I had to “unfreeze” his credit scores, but the Equifax website seems to be permanently disabled, and it took us about three aggravating hours of calling, emailing, posting on social media, and waiting on hold to finally connect with an actual human being and sort things out. And then, despite great credit scores, Chase rejected us anyway, and no one will tell us why.
Also, Firefox is freezing and crashing my computer; Google Voice suddenly won’t connect certain calls; I can’t figure out how to get the Japanese subtitles to play during the recaps of Shōgun; the Substack platform on which I write these articles suddenly won’t allow me to cut-and-paste; and the space bar on my laptop has stopped working.
Two years ago, I wrote an article asking if the incredible conveniences that come with all the new technology of the last few decades are worth the aggravation they cause — not to mention the obvious cultural consequences and social disruptions.
I answered with a qualified “yes,” especially regarding travel. Uber, Airbnb, and booking plane tickets online were still better than the openly corrupt and/or wildly inconvenient services that existed before.
But I also said ask me again in five years, that my answer could change.
Well, it’s only been a little over two years, and my answer has changed.
Am I the one who’s changed, or is it the technology? These days, Michael and I are always dealing with frustrations like these — and now, of course, it takes forever to connect with a human being who can actually help us, if we ever can.
But it’s not like things were ever perfect. I’m old enough to remember the 90s and early 00s — how when you used to bring home a new electronic device, you then had to spend that entire weekend on the phone with tech support, often on the verge of tears, as you and the tech person tried to figure out how to make the damn thing work.
These days, you buy a new phone or computer, you turn it on, and you’re pretty much good to go. Plus, everything is now stored in the cloud, so it’s almost impossible to lose everything you’ve ever created by not backing it up, like Carrie Bradshaw in that famous episode of Sex and the City.
These technological improvements are not nothing. And, I mean, I work online, so it makes sense that most of my frustrations would be online ones. Plumbers probably hate, I dunno, bad overflow valves?
Plus, shit happens. Shit happened even before we integrated technology into every aspect of our lives. Man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward — and all that.
All this said, “enshittification” is also very real. This is the idea that when an online service first makes a big splash, it’s fantastic — a massive improvement over whatever existed before. But over time, it becomes increasingly, er, shitty.
Cory Doctorow, the science fiction writer who coined the term “enshittification” in 2022, argues that when a new online platform arises, its creators focus on growing the number of users, initially operating the business at a massive financial loss. Then once it’s established and dominant, they immediately start screwing over their user-customers to please their business-customers — advertisers and the like. Finally, they screw over these business-customers too, in order to enrich their shareholders and themselves. By this point, the platform is terrible and completely infuriating for everyone, but it’s so integrated into our daily lives that it’s extremely difficult to leave.
For example, you only have to look at, well, every online platform that’s ever existed — except maybe Facebook, which seems to me to have been shitty from the start.
Of course, companies with monopolies have always treated their customers like crap — which is why laws and entire government agencies exist to prevent monopolies. Competition is the only thing that keeps companies honest.
But online platforms are mostly virtual, which means they’re easily scaled and endlessly expandable. And social media and viral marketing can promote them in a way that traditional advertising never could.
In other words, the whole process of monopolization happens much faster online.
Look, I’m wide open to the possibility that I’m just a crank — a technology-hating Luddite. (Though it must be said: the forever-disparaged Luddites — a reactionary movement in England at the start of the Industrial Revolution — actually had a point: the social changes caused by new machinery really were destroying their communities, and thousands of people were starving.)
It’s also possible that my current frustrations with technology are simply a function of age. I now hold a ton of obviously very cringe views, like the fact that I think kids should absolutely sometimes be forced to do things they don’t want to do, like homework, or talking with their grandparents over Zoom at Christmas.
I also think the LGBT community made a massive unforced political error in rebranding ourselves as “queer” — forever outsiders — rather than emphasizing our boring old normalcy.
Like I said, cringe.
Anyway, as recently as two years ago, I was as dazzled by technology as the next guy, especially when it comes to travel.
Now enshittification is in full swing. Plus, the true costs of these technologies are much more apparent. Technology has made travel so easy, for example, that it’s created a ridiculously bad overtourism problem.
As for the rest of it, oh, where to start? Elon Musk is currently enshittifying the entire U.S. government. And even outside of government, America has gone from an already low-trust society to — what? A pack of braying hyenas? Sand tiger sharks, which is that species where the members first start eating each other in utero?
America used to have a vague form of “shared reality”; now we don’t even have shared conspiracy theories.
Vaccines should not be controversial. Neither should democracy, or opposing very bad guys like Vladimir Putin, or, you know, America not invading Canada.
And, yeah, all this new technology really is making everyone miserable — especially kids. When people started raising these concerns a decade ago, there was a huge backlash with lots of Very Smart People™ saying, Hold on! It’s more complicated than that! And it’s too soon to draw any conclusions!
These days, does anyone even bother arguing against the idea that technology is making us all crazy — oh, and also probably making countries ungovernable?
But now everyone just kind of shrugs and says, oh, well, these changes are all inevitable. Whattaya gonna do?
That’s the craziest thing about all this. As a species, we’re still going through all these sweeping, potentially-society-destroying changes as a result of social media. And now we’re just going to go through it all again with AI — with even more sweeping, potentially-society-destroying changes?
Not even a second thought? Really?
I understand why younger generations aren't more concerned about all this: these Faustian-bargain technologies are all they know. But what's my generation’s excuse? Too many 80s earworms?
As for me, well, I’ve still got to figure out this stupid cut-and-paste issue, and also the Google Voice and Firefox ones.
And since the battery in my phone is now shot, I have to figure out which new one I want to buy. Oh, and we still need to find a new credit card.
Either that or maybe I’ll just go for a walk down to the beach.
Brent Hartinger is a screenwriter and author. Check out my new newsletter about my books and movies at BrentHartinger.com.
Everything you say is true. Good luck to you and to all of us with technology battles!
Off topic, but as a Canadian I thank you for your terminology: ‘invading’. Calling it ‘annexing’ is the equivalent of referring to rape as ‘seduction’.
Amen, brother!!!! I follow my mom’s “Victor Newman Rule”. For those who aren’t familiar with the charismatic head of Newman Enterprises and head of the Newman family on “The Young and the Restless “ well, you’re really missing something. Mom LOVED that show and in particular adored Victor. When VCRs were out, we took her to buy one. Of course the video king at the store wanted to sell her one that not only sliced bread but toasted your Philly cheesesteak. Mom would have NONE of it. She declined his offers stating “LOOK- all I want to do is record my stories and see Victor when I get home from my bridge game. I don’t need all that baloney.” So mote it be. We got her a solid standard one . And thus the Victor Newman standard was born. It’s become family legend and a comment on stuff that’s just too much.