So I wrote the below (not the above!) back at the end of December, but things seem to be emerging strongly already.
Back-lash against Big Tech
This is partly a story about wealth, income and opportunity polarisation. It’s partly one about tax evasion, the avoidance of regulation and various ethical and moral responsibilities. And it’s partly one about privacy and whose data they are using.
In the Sunday Times culture section last weekend Bryan Appleyard, one of my favourite columnists, wrote about the web stifling originality, eroding our sense of self and the artistic backlash against Silicon Valley that is gathering pace. Full article here.
This could, I am all too aware, be a case of confirmation bias on my part. It’s the theme of my book Digital vs. Human and also one promoted by Gerd Leonhard, Jaron Lanier, Sheila Jasanoff and Evgeny Morozov et al.
There was also a piece on Radio 4 over the weekend talking about the need for criticism to be applied to technology so I think this is building. If the economy booms maybe this trend will disappear, but if things turn nasty big tech will remain on the radar of things people dislike or distrust.