platform capitalism
we have outsourced the management of our critical informational pathways to algorithms run by for-profit companies, working hand in glove with governments,
Naomi Klein • Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World
Human labor, inquiry, creativity, and expertise is spurned in the name of “efficiency.” With AI, there is no need for human expertise because anything can be learned, approximated, or created in seconds.
AI Is Supercharging the War on Libraries, Education, and Human Knowledge
From the fullness of our physical being we are reduced to mere “operators,” experiencing life primarily through the apparatus, which “programs” both the producers and consumers of media
Kevin Munger • “The Algorithm” Does Not Exist
As the tech platforms have grown and evolved over the last decade, they have focused their attention on refining their methods of extraction. In return for an undeniable and unescapable utility, they are fine-tuned to take as much as possible—data, attention, profit margins—from everyone else.
Tim Wu • The Age of Extraction
No one can deny the power and size of the AI coalition, an ensemble of Silicon Valley investors, lobbyists, and bought-off politicians; hucksters, carnival barkers, and gravy train chasers; and bosses gleeful at the opportunity to downsize and deskill. Unsurprisingly, this well-funded upheaval is outpacing any social, political, or ethical effort... See more
https://www.nplusonemag.com/author/lisajborstgmail-com/ • Large Language Muddle
We learned this about platforms a long time ago: following the old newspaper schematic, they aren’t the printing presses, but rather the assignment editors.
Robin Sloan • Platform reality
Overthrowing Our Tech Overlords | NOEMA
noemamag.com
Lately, our self-appointed disrupters have opened up a new frontier of capitalism,” Crawford wrote, “complete with its own frontier ethic: to boldly dig up and monetize every bit of private head space by appropriating our collective attention. In the process, we’ve sacrificed silence — the condition of not being addressed.” “And just as clean air... See more