Searching for the Wrong Things

“Do not seek false gains. False gains are losses.”

Hesiod

Some time ago, in a wistful worried state, I found myself thinking of the frenzied nature of our time. Things seem to move at a pace that’s unsustainable, if not for everyone, then at least for a vast majority of the population. Technology seems to be advancing at a predatory rate, benefiting those in society who have been able, through a combination of talent and skills, to take advantage of its rise, while leaving behind those who have not been afforded similar opportunities.

Some would have you believe this is the state of things. The Pareto principle holds that 80% of growth comes from 20% of a population; that our society is becoming increasingly unequal is, in reality, just a manifestation of this trend. An attempt to attribute socio-economic trends to biological observations, this line of reasoning should raise red flags in its similarities to the social Darwinism of the past.

Exponential Exaggerations

Describing the disruptiveness of modern times, we like to invoke exponential growth. The most popular instantiation of this concept is Moore’s law, but today it’s probably most accurately the aspirational growth of VC-backed companies, or even the proposed rise of AI.

To view any of these exponential growth archetypes as wholly accurate is to misunderstand the state of things. The most accurate exponential rise, the one that will impact our species most dramatically over time, are those of the great acceleration: Our discovery of fossil fuels, our rapid growth trajectory, our suddenly becoming witness to the unintended knock-on effects of these modes of disruptive innovation.

Its hard to know, but it does seem more likely. As a culture, we tend to fetishize technology and lose site of the broader state of things.

Realizing this trend is a reminder of how easy it is for us, as a species, to conflate ideas and archetypes. To lose sight of a story, to miss the bigger picture in search of a simple solution. In reality, there is rarely ever one easy answer to a story; rather, the world is complex, there are always multiple causes intersecting. Technological solutionism is a fallacious perspective — but it’s one that offers an easy story, one requiring far less unpacking and understanding.

This is especially true in our digital age, when things are moving so fast we can hardly keep up. And when it’s easy to point to technological growth as the key driver behind these trends. In reality, these are very human problems.

The travails of recent years, the issues of the platforms, is perhaps the most glaring illustration of the effects of exponential growth. These platforms have been powerful ones that dominate most aspects of our understanding of the world — but these behaviors are not limited to the platforms themselves. Modern solutions, like our attempts to address climate change, can occur — but they necessitate a recalibration of how we think about platforms, how work is done, and a more careful assessment of the knock-on effects throughout the global economy