{"id":24781,"date":"2019-11-10T04:10:21","date_gmt":"2019-11-10T12:10:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=24781"},"modified":"2019-11-10T12:59:43","modified_gmt":"2019-11-10T20:59:43","slug":"but-what-of-tomorrowland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/but-what-of-tomorrowland\/","title":{"rendered":"But, What of Tomorrowland?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In the 1980s, the dream of a futuristic world was seen through the lens of innocent childhood with a Disney whimsical twist. The days where technology and humankind operate inseparably was an intriguing quest set out by man. The days where innovators and dreamers need(ed) to stick together<\/em>.[1]<\/a>\u00a0As the years continued in the late 1990s to the 2000s, technology advanced from black and white tv to color, from pagers to cellphones, dial-up to high-speed internet, from phone parties to chatrooms, and that was just the beginning. We have yet to receive the promised flying cars but, we can see technology has changed our world for the better and worse.<\/p>\n

Technology has allowed people to work and live more effectively. Yet it is also an impediment to how we effectually live among each other. It is quite the conundrum, this concept of living in Tomorrowland.<\/p>\n

Leading the Way
\n<\/strong>\"\"<\/a>Companies such as Google, FACEBOOK, Apple, and Amazon are said to be the dominating character in the race to Tomorrowland. They seem to have acquired the strategy to eliminate the competition and become adorned with the beloved and sacred blue and orange\u00a0lapel pin for leading currently in the digital age and economy.<\/p>\n

In the Four, business professor Scott Galloway suggests these companies to the Four Horseman; maybe the entities are the Four Horsemen of god, love, sex, and consumption, or maybe they are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.[2]<\/strong><\/a><\/em> Nevertheless, for the sake of the book, he entitles them as the Four.<\/p>\n

The Four is an arduous read, even coming from someone with a business background. Also, here’s another disclaimer if you so choose to enter the finite view of the world of the Four. It\u00a0has an array of blue language. It is controversially opinionated with facts on digital economy and market data thrown in throughout. It is a quite disgruntle analytical review of the Four\u2019s current status of being technology deities without a retrospective review of their inception. It also has a baffling correlation to the Four Horsemen.\u00a0It is an enigma on how Galloway manages to make that sound enough for others to indulge this concept but, if you dare to embark, maybe you will discover it for yourself.<\/p>\n

Trouble in the Land<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Galloway, however, eludes to the nuances of The Four\u2019s impact and influence on the world at large. The Four receive acclaim for the creation of hundreds of thousands of high paying jobs and the contribution of an array of products and services into the daily lives of billions. [3]<\/a> The Four also receives acclaim for pocket supercomputers, bringing the internet into developing countries, mapping the Earth’s landmass and sea, and help millions of families build economic security.[4]<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The Four also receives denunciation for refusal of paying sales taxes, improper treatment of employees, destruction of thousands of jobs, withholding information about the domestic act of terrorism, analyzing personal images, listening devices in phones and selling that information to Fortune 500 companies, and commands 90% share of the most lucrative sector in media.[5]<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The dilemma is portrayed in the tendency to aggregate the Four, which should be the Five since Microsoft was also listed as one of the most valuable public companies (the \u201cBig Tech\u201d) in the U.S. in 2017. Aggregating them together camouflages the fact the companies are very separate and distinct \u2013 not just as companies but in terms of their business models and practices.[6]<\/a> Understanding these companies in their proper business contexts makes it easier to understand their power in the marketplace and society at large<\/em>[7]<\/a><\/p>\n

Closer to Home<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Over the last several years, housing has become less affordable, and \u201ccertainly the (tech) companies\"\"<\/a> have a role in that<\/em>\u201d[8]<\/a> In Seattle, Washington which houses the main headquarters for Amazon and Microsoft, both companies contributed $5 million to assist with permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless people.<\/em>[9]<\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

On the same day, Amazon announced it would match its employees\u2019 donations to 20 homelessness nonprofits, for up to $5 million, and that it would give $3 million for affordable housing in Arlington, Virginia, where it is siting\u00a0<\/em>its new second headquarters.<\/a>[11]<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

In California, the unprecedented growth of wealthy tech corporations pushed housing costs through the roof for everyday people<\/em> [12]<\/a>in the state and led to a disparity between the wealthy tech workers and everyone else.<\/em>[13]<\/a> It may also be an explanation for the mass exodus of approximately 30,000 residents alone in SanFranciso from April to June. However, last week in the Bay Area, the announcement was made that three of The Four, Apple, Google, and FACEBOOK, have now committed approximately $4.5 billion towards the housing crisis. Google pledged $ billion in building affordable housing in June; Facebook invested $ billion towards fighting the housing crisis, and Apple pledged $2.5 billion towards the housing crisis.<\/p>\n

But What of Tomorrowland?<\/strong><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=kboSmlN2XGQ<\/a><\/p>\n

Will the world become consumed and destroyed by the deities of The Four? Has the quest for success and corporate sustainability caused these companies to be viewed in a capacity in which it was never intended to be considered? Will there be a possibility these companies right the wrongs placed inadvertently upon society? The answers are not still unwritten, and the future of the Four remains unknown.<\/p>\n

But here\u2019s a story to reflect upon, the Tale of Two Wolves<\/em>, as we continue to dive more profoundly into the technological world of tomorrow.<\/p>\n

There are two wolves who are always fighting.
\nOne is darkness and despair.
\nThe other is light and hope.
\nThe question is: which wolf wins?
\nAnswer: The one you feed.[14]<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Brad Bird and Damon Lindelof,\u00a0Tomorrowland<\/em>\u00a0(Burbank: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, 2011)<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Scott Galloway,\u00a0The Four: The Hidden DNA of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google<\/em>\u00a0(New York: Portfolio\/Penguin, 2017), 1.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Amanda Lotz, \u201c\u2018big Tech\u2019 Isn\u2019t One Big Monopoly \u2013 It\u2019s 5 Companies All in Different Businesses,\u201d The Conversation, March 23, 2018,\u00a0https:\/\/theconversation.com\/big-tech-isnt-one-big-monopoly-its-5-companies-all-in-different-businesses-92791<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Ibid.<\/em><\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Ibid<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Jared Brey, \u201cMore Private Companies Putting Big Money Into Housing Philanthropy,\u201d\u00a0Next City<\/em>, October 31, 2019,\u00a0https:\/\/nextcity.org\/daily\/entry\/more-private-companies-putting-big-money-into-housing-philanthropy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> Scott Greenstone, \u201cAmazon, Microsoft and Others Give Tens of Millions for Homeless Housing,\u201d\u00a0Seattle Times<\/em>, June 11, 2019,\u00a0https:\/\/www.seattletimes.com\/seattle-news\/homeless\/amazon-microsoft-and-others-give-tens-of-millions-for-homeless-housing\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[11]<\/strong><\/em><\/a> Ibid.<\/em><\/p>\n

[12]<\/a> Mike Snider, \u201cApple Will Donate $2.5 Billion to Fight ‘unsustainable’ California Housing Crisis,\u201d USA Today, last modified November 6, 2019,\u00a0https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/tech\/2019\/11\/04\/apple-donate-2-5-billion-fight-california-housing-crisis\/4154214002\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[13]<\/a> Sarah Perez, \u201cApple Commits $2.5 Billion to Address California\u2019s Housing Crisis and Homelessness Issues,\u201d Tech Crunch, November 4, 2019,\u00a0https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2019\/11\/04\/apple-commits-2-5-billion-to-address-californias-housing-crisis-and-homelessness-issues\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[14]<\/a> Disney Sisters, \u201cTomorrowland: The Tale of Two Wolves,\u201d Disneysisters.com, accessed November 6, 2019,\u00a0http:\/\/www.disneysisters.com\/2015\/05\/tomorrowland-tale-of-two-wolves.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the 1980s, the dream of a futuristic world was seen through the lens of innocent childhood with a Disney whimsical twist. The days where technology and humankind operate inseparably was an intriguing quest set out by man. The days where innovators and dreamers need(ed) to stick together.[1]\u00a0As the years continued in the late 1990s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123,"featured_media":24845,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1712,1713],"class_list":["post-24781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-galloway-mimiharvey-maderevolution","tag-thefour","cohort-lgp9"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/123"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24781"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24781\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24851,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24781\/revisions\/24851"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}