Siva Vaidhyanathan, an expert on the impact of technology on society, discusses the relationship between technology and democracy in an interview. He emphasizes the need for society to have a clear understanding of how technology affects our lives and demands that technology companies prioritize our values, such as privacy and open communication. Vaidhyanathan believes that the chaotic process of allowing technologies to enter our lives and then trying to fix them later needs to change. Instead, we should have a clear vision of what we want from democracy and demand that technology companies align with our demands.
One of Vaidhyanathan’s greatest concerns is the amount of distracting and emotionally charged information that arrives in our lives, making it difficult for citizens to engage in deep and informed conversations about important issues. He calls for the establishment of a new deliberation system where discussions can take place in a calm, respectful, and informed manner. Vaidhyanathan believes that social media undermines democracy by keeping people segmented in their tribes and providing constant positive affirmation, which solidifies their own opinions and hinders open and respectful citizenship.
While Vaidhyanathan is less concerned about the impact of social media and fake news on the upcoming 2024 election compared to 2016, he is more concerned about society’s ability to address pressing problems such as human migration and climate change. He believes that our ability to recognize and question the problems of social media and misinformation has improved, but we still struggle to confront and address the larger challenges we face. In summary, Vaidhyanathan’s focus is on building a better information ecosystem and urging society to demand that technology companies align with our values and prioritize the common good.
