My grandparents gave me a Coleco Electronic Quarterback Handheld Game for Christmas 1978. Outside of an N-gauge electric train kit and later an Apple 2E computer, it was probably one of the only digital games I owned as a kid.\u00a0 Playing it was exhilarating; sometimes, I couldn\u2019t put the game down.\u00a0 At night, I would lie in bed and play, memorizing the combinations of moves to score touchdowns.\u00a0 The screen was a small football field with yard markers, and you \u201cmoved\u201d your little player (a dash) across the screen to avoid would-be tacklers and advance down the field.\u00a0 After a few weeks of off-and-on play, I figured out all the moves and could score at will. Instead of scoring, the game transitioned to how fast I could score, but nothing beyond that.\u00a0 There was no level-up, prizes, rewards, lures, or hooks to play further.\u00a0 It sat in my room idle for a few weeks, and then my neighbor borrowed it.\u00a0 I don\u2019t remember seeing it again.<\/p>\n
Today, the technological device of choice performs incredible and beautiful operations. What was initially a phone, email, and calendar device is now a platform for multiple applications and is inseparable from most individuals\u2019 daily routines. But with every benefit comes a cost. This device can be easily weaponized, and in the hands of specific individuals, it might cause irreparable damage.<\/p>\n
This week\u2019s Atlantic articles were incredibly troubling, concerning, and sobering. As I pondered the key learnings during my long walk on Sunday morning, I suddenly returned to an uncomfortable and very dark space.\u00a0 During COVID, I was President of a non-profit athletic club when one of our board members attempted to change the course of the entire organization.\u00a0 Initially, he began with subtle inquiries and became comfortable with the overall operational workings of our club.\u00a0 Very methodically, his inquiries morphed into insinuations about board members, followed by false statements about the club to the online community. \u00a0He also used an alias on a public forum website to disseminate his messages. His actions and statements were articulate and extremely believable because of his immediate knowledge of the club\u2019s operations combined with his ability to harness the fear of parents who were club members.\u00a0 What started as a minor concern quickly became a roaring inferno.\u00a0 As a team of volunteer board members, we went on the defense to stabilize the message and sought legal counsel.\u00a0 We were labeled as a series of \u201cbad actors.\u201d Almost two years later, the journey ended after thousands of hours of research, depositions, and legal fees.\u00a0 The truth won out.<\/p>\n
Technology is a multiplier. It can effectively communicate across time zones, send images, and help save lives. However, today\u2019s technology has crossed a new threshold through social media, eroding our sense of community and creating heightened anxiety.<\/p>\n
Nicholas Smyth distinguishes between a tool using culture and a technopoly.[1]<\/a>\u00a0 He cites the example of the samurai warriors\u2019 use of swords and how their disciplined and controlled use of the powerful tool was appropriate for their culture.[2]<\/a>\u00a0 Our culture has transitioned over recent years. He explains how, within a technopoly, the tool has become the master and cannot be held up by more convictions or constraints.[3]<\/a><\/p>\n This technolopy concerns me because of the capability of AI to appear and feel like the truth when it is not the truth. Combining this with the speed of mobilization leads to dire consequences. \u00a0Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist, states, \u201cThe first and most obvious threat is that AI-enhanced social media will wash ever-larger torrents of garbage into our public conversation.\u201d[4]<\/a>\u00a0 The influx of general information, misinformation, and disinformation into social media channels is designed to be overwhelming.\u00a0 When people are forced to question the legitimacy of a fundamental truth, it erodes confidence in self, community, and leaders.\u00a0 The results are catastrophic because not only does it undermine individual health, but it has the potential for chronic illness.\u00a0 It fractionalizes communities and prompts questions like, \u201cWho do I trust?\u201d \u201cWhy do I trust them?\u201d \u00a0\u201cWhere do I seek and find voices that speak or write the truth?\u201d and ultimately, \u201cIs it real?\u201d With trust fractured, anxiety levels rise as the perception of unsteady foundations exists.<\/p>\n I’ve witnessed similar questions attached to videos on social media.\u00a0 These forms of AI on social media are so \u201creal\u201d that the person reviewing the post cannot distinguish the difference, thus driving uncertainty and further questioning. This made me pause to consider how many readers receive these messages at face value, don\u2019t ask questions, and move on to their daily business.<\/p>\n Next Steps<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n Nicholas Smyth encourages us to remain resilient and steadfast despite the perceived uphill battle. All is not lost. Smith extends a radical message and an open invitation to smash the technopoly![5]<\/a> He does not recommend destroying our devices but instead \u201creacquire the moral resources to constrain and direct our technology.\u201d[6]<\/a> While we all can influence, I am not confident that influence alone will produce lasting results. However, I have not given up hope yet.<\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Nicholas Smyth. \u201cSmash The Technopoly!\u201d Substack Babel<\/em>, March 9, 2023. https:\/\/www.afterbabel.com\/p\/smash-the-technopoly?<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> Smyth. \u201cSmash The Technopoly!\u201d<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> Smyth. \u201cSmash The Technopoly!\u201d<\/p>\n [4]<\/a> Jonathan Haidt and Eric Schmidt. \u201cAI Is About to Make Social Media (Much) More Toxic.\u201d The Atlantic<\/em>, May 5, 2023. https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/search\/?q=%E2%80%9CAI+Is+About+to+Make+Social+Media+%28Much%29+More+Toxic<\/p>\n