Hello Ben!

Thank you for taking the time to write out some of your thoughts! I can agree that labeling convenience as a “poison” may have been too strong. As you pointed out, convenience has historically driven societal progress, enabling innovation and improved quality of life. However, while convenience has the potential to drive human progress, I think it's incredibly important to note that it has also paved the way for an unprecedented level of surveillance and control, which has become deeply invasive in the digital age. It wasn’t convenience alone that brought us to this point, but rather the way it has been weaponized to fuel invasive surveillance. That’s why I view it as such a dangerous force.

As for what resistance might look like, I believe education, particularly starting at a young age, could play an important role. However, education alone may not be sufficient. In my own experience, even when I try to explain the dangers of this technology to people around me, it's often not enough to convince them to change their habits. Many remain too dependent on the convenience they’ve become accustomed to, and in most cases, outright addicted to.

That’s why I think introducing technology literacy early in life—teaching kids how to build their own systems and understand the basics of computing—could be a powerful form of resistance. If young people learn not just to use technology but also to question and control it, they may be more likely to reject the systems of surveillance that accompany modern convenience. Before this class, despite my background in computer science, I didn’t fully grasp how easy (and interesting!) it could be to work on a clean-slate computer—one that doesn’t track my activity or serve me personalized ads. I think that if this information was more accessible, this could make real change.

Finally, I think this is an incredibly difficult question to answer, and frankly it's one that I'm still trying to figure out myself! Many people don’t want to engage with the uncomfortable realities of privacy, surveillance, and data collection. This often leads to an "out of sight, out of mind" mentality, which can be dangerous. When these issues are discussed, people tend to either shrug it off because they're too reliant on the convenience or actively avoid the conversation because they don’t want to confront it.

Right now, I believe that in order to teach future generations the value of resisting invasive technologies, we need to prioritize digital literacy, focusing on privacy and the ethical implications of technology. By offering accessible alternatives and practical tools for safeguarding privacy, we can make resistance both realistic and meaningful.

-- ZoieGeronimi - 02 Oct 2024