In an insightful op-ed in Saturday’s New York Times, Bret Stephens cites a tale from Plato’s “Phaedrus,” to reflect on the recent news about Facebook’s deceptions.
The morale of the tale, attributed to Socrates, is that the creator of something is not always the best judge of its ultimate utility (or lack thereof)—and that giving people “not truth, but only the semblance of truth” will lead to them learning nothing.
“The tale I’m citing…are about 2,400 years old,” writes Stephens. “They are apposite again this week thanks to a lengthy investigation into Facebook’s cynical and self-serving calculations as it tried to brazen its way through a year of serial P.R. disasters.”
Stephens sees Facebook’s stated purpose of bringing the world close together through communication as a “wildly exaggerated promise” and self-serving mission statement. And in that respect, the company is no different than any of the other tech giants that have sold themselves “not so much as profit-seeking companies but as ideal-pursuing movements.”
The false promise of technology, Stephen summarizes, is that it purports to make things easy that are, intrinsically, difficult:
Tweeting and trolling are easy. Mastering the art of conversation and measured debate are difficult.
Texting is easy. Writing a proper letter is hard.
Looking stuff up on Google is easy. Knowing what to search for in the first place is hard.
Having a thousand friends on Facebook is easy. Maintaining six or seven close adult friendships over the space of many years is hard.
Swiping right on Tinder is easy. Finding love—and staying in it — is hard.
(I quote so much of Stephens’ article here because of the brilliance of his analysis. He sums up the problem more eloquently than I ever could.)
In dealing with its latest PR crises, Facebook has taken the easy way out—blaming others, hiring consultants and lobbyists to discredit its accusers. After all, facing up isn't so easy.
The problem goes way beyond Facebook.
The criticism of technology’s effect on society keep growing louder. Other eloquent critics like Simon Sinek see the affect that addiction to social media and an over-dependence on digital devices have wrought on millennials, who find it difficult to form lasting and meaningful relationships.
While I agree with Sinek’s criticism, mine goes deeper: Technology has given everyone a legitimate platform to express their opinions, informed or otherwise—a permission to weigh in whether or not they have any expertise on a subject. It has given crackpots and haters legitimacy. Today, If you have a Twitter handle, you have a voice—and you can have a following.
Scholarship, training, expertise and integrity have lost a lot of their luster in the new media world, and no one is better for it. With all the information and misinformation going through the web, we’re more confused and depressed and isolated than ever.
With all due respects to the wonderful benefits of technology, let’s also get back to the basics once in a while. Face-to-face conversation. A family dinner without devices—or background noise. And don’t forget, good old-fashioned civility.
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