Sam Liebeskind

In short, the technologies through which we see the public shape what we think the public is. And that, in turn, shapes how we behave politically and how we orient ourselves. We may end up believing - in a highly specific way - in things that we know we are ‘supposed’ to believe, given that we are Republicans or Democrats, Conservative or Labour... See more

Living among different people also deepens empathy. If you grew up alongside refugees, it is harder to fear them. If you recognize the face of the unhoused person on your block, it is harder to dismiss them. Familiarity makes humanity harder to ignore.

So we might all have the same needs, but the superficial markers for how we achieve these desires look very different. This is where people start misunderstanding one another, fighting. But these little big differences, our individual personality phenotypes, is where things get interesting.

Society is increasingly cutting the nourishing ties that attach us, and calling it innovation. I worry about how encouraged we are to do things efficiently, i.e. alone. Ordering from Amazon harms workers, but it also deprives you of the handful of interactions you may’ve had taking the subway to a store, asking for help navigating the aisles, or... See more