On the Internet, We’re Always Famous
Chris Hayes,
The New Yorker,
Oct 03, 2021
This is more of a longish Sunday read than a quick review at the desk Monday morning, so maybe save it for that. Author Chris Hayes tries to put his finger on why the internet has become dystopian. He suggests that what has changed is that each of us could now become famous - defined as 'known by strangers' - and that this changes our behaviour as we begin to watch for and even crave that feedback. "The combination of mass fame and mass surveillance increasingly channels our most basic impulses—toward loving and being loved, caring for and being cared for, getting the people we know to laugh at our jokes—into the project of impressing strangers, a project that cannot, by definition, sate our desires." I think there's a lot to disagree with here, but this is definitely a good read.
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