Ask HN: How do you find meaning in tech when it net destroys means of living?

2 points by anon7429 7 years ago | 4 comments

I'm having a lack of sense of meaningful purpose and motivation to continue doing anything in tech because it seems like a net destroyer, taker of jobs and concentrator of wealth for the very few, and that participating in it would be complicit in the destruction of countless lives. And not thinking about it or rationalizing it away doesn't make the externalities disappear. No mythological trickle down or freed up labor for other "new" job lies can gloss over the chaos and damage caused by software designed to replace people.

evolve2k 7 years ago |

I share your concern. In addition to working to contribute my tech knowledge in alignment with my values I’ve also got very curious in alternative models for people to collaborate and work together (and share capital and resources). Haven’t find the one true magic answer but my enquiries have led me to run and be involved in many amazing organisations.

ReConsider Havkerspaces, RandomHacks and BarCamps and be curious on those sorts of models and how you could get involved/grow/evolve them.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Random_Hacks_of_Kindness

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/BarCamps

https://wiki.hackerspaces.org/Design_Patterns

Open spaces like these will help you find your tribe ‘tech people who want to make a contribution’ from there, there’s stacks you can do to contribute and learn from those grappling with the same concern.

cimmanom 7 years ago |

Plenty of technology doesn’t replace people. Plenty of it isn’t harmful. Some tech even makes the world a better place. Yes, the intersection of those areas can be small. But there are jobs to be had and kept within it, and companies to be started.

Meantime, why do you need to find meaning in your job any more than your local supermarket checkout clerk needs to find meaning in theirs? Sometimes you just need a paycheck. As long as it’s one that’s not hurting anyone else, go ahead and look for meaning elsewhere in your life.

evolve2k 7 years ago |

I would encourage you to be grateful for the privilege you have in working in tech and pair that with your personal values of making a positive contribution.

There are stacks of social issues locally to you and beyond that benefit from tech improvements.

The technology is progressing anyway, bring your focus to ensuring that tech is deployed for the greatest social benefit and call others to your cause you’ll soon find like minded folk.

Anyone have good examples of social projects that are based around using tech for social good they can share?

evolve2k 7 years ago | |

The hive project comes to mind - bee colony collapse is a big issue globally. This project using raspberry pi to make a simple monitoring tool to improve colony health and crowd source global data.

https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/plan-bee