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#dystopia

109 posts42 participants8 posts today
eddiebbot<p>The bigger an organization becomes, the more accident prone it is. The links among the different sectors are more numerous, and it is at such links that breaks occur. This is true no matter whether the organization is economic (multinational companies) or political (Napoleon's empire or the USSR). It naturally applies to the technical system, which grows unceasingly and absorbs more and more areas. --Jaques Ellul, The Technological Bluff (1988) <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/dystopia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>dystopia</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/technology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>technology</span></a></p>
Rich Stein (he/him)<p>Scary stuff: thought police —<br><a href="https://www.salon.com/2025/04/15/marco-rubios-hunt-for-anti-christmas-bias-is-creeping-theocracy/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">salon.com/2025/04/15/marco-rub</span><span class="invisible">ios-hunt-for-anti-christmas-bias-is-creeping-theocracy/</span></a> v <span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/@AmandaMarcotte" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>AmandaMarcotte</span></a></span> </p><p>"Thought crimes" — <a href="https://www.salon.com/2025/04/10/thought-crimes-rubio-lays-out-governments-justification-to-deport-people-based-on-beliefs/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">salon.com/2025/04/10/thought-c</span><span class="invisible">rimes-rubio-lays-out-governments-justification-to-deport-people-based-on-beliefs/</span></a> <br><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/dystopia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>dystopia</span></a></p>
eddiebbot<p><span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://mastodon.social/@eddiebbot" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>eddiebbot</span></a></span> 3/3 Ellul, The Technological Bluff (1988) <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/dystopia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>dystopia</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/technology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>technology</span></a></p>
eddiebbot<p><span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://mastodon.social/@eddiebbot" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>eddiebbot</span></a></span> 2/2 --Jaques Ellul, The Technological Bluff (1988) <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/dystopia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>dystopia</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/technology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>technology</span></a></p>
eddiebbot<p><span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://mastodon.social/@eddiebbot" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>eddiebbot</span></a></span> 2/2 to the system are usually very inefficient. (Look at Latin America.) Thus an advanced industrial society can tolerate only those small-scale communities that are emasculated, tamed and made into tools of the system. --Ted Kaczynki, Technological Slavery (2010) <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/dystopia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>dystopia</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/technology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>technology</span></a></p>
Rich Stein (he/him)<p>There are only two kinds of countries where children die from measles — countries that are still developing and are on the way up and countries on the decline. <br><a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-vaccines-funding-cuts-5785985d6b74024b0502f6a2fc1576e2" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">apnews.com/article/measles-tex</span><span class="invisible">as-vaccines-funding-cuts-5785985d6b74024b0502f6a2fc1576e2</span></a><br>h/t <span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://mastodon.cloud/@raymondpert" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>raymondpert</span></a></span> <br><a href="https://mastodon.cloud/@raymondpert/114336187667747368" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">mastodon.cloud/@raymondpert/11</span><span class="invisible">4336187667747368</span></a> <br><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/measles" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>measles</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/RFKjr" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>RFKjr</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/PublicHealth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>PublicHealth</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/dystopia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>dystopia</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Texas" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Texas</span></a></p>
eddiebbot<p><span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://mastodon.social/@eddiebbot" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>eddiebbot</span></a></span> 2/2 whatever to the public. The technical instrument is a game, which allows us to divert ourselves and to make jokes (or frauds). --Jaques Ellul, The Technological Bluff (1988) <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/dystopia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>dystopia</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/technology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>technology</span></a></p>
eddiebbot<p><span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://mastodon.social/@eddiebbot" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>eddiebbot</span></a></span> 2/2 modern society an individual's loyalty must be first to the system and only secondarily to a small-scale community, because if the internal loyalties of small-scale communities were stronger than loyalty to the system, such communities would pursue their own advantage at the expense of the syste --Ted Kaczynki, Technological Slavery (2010) <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/dystopia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>dystopia</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/technology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>technology</span></a></p>
eddiebbot<p><span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://mastodon.social/@eddiebbot" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>eddiebbot</span></a></span> 3/3 weapon of government. It is the generalized pedagogical conformity that is significant. The converse is true: Ignorant people cannot be brought under social control. "Knowledge" is requisite for adhesion (and hence for manipulation and control). --Jaques Ellul, The Technological Bluff (1988) <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/dystopia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>dystopia</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/technology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>technology</span></a></p>
eddiebbot<p><span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://mastodon.social/@eddiebbot" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>eddiebbot</span></a></span> 2/2 computers into schools and homes might make things more efficient but this turns inevitably into irrationality. --Jaques Ellul, The Technological Bluff (1988) <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/dystopia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>dystopia</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/technology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>technology</span></a></p>
Miguel Afonso Caetano<p>Dysptopic AI-based HR: </p><p>"Workhuman, an Irish tech company, has built a $1.2bn revenue business out of what chief executive Eric Mosley calls the “core human need to be appreciated and the corresponding need to express gratitude”.</p><p>It might sound ironic, then, that it is turning to artificial intelligence to help staff deliver feedback to their co-workers.</p><p>The “social recognition” platform, where colleagues post praise for each others’ work and can recommend corresponding rewards, received an AI upgrade last month. With the click of a pen icon, users can call on a (sometimes condescending) virtual assistant to “coach” them to deliver a message with a bit more depth.</p><p>The tool, dubbed “Human Intelligence”, is one of many social recognition or reward platforms to incorporate AI. It stands ready to spruce up our syntax, flag iffy language and crunch the data that colleagues’ emotional responses generate. If it’s the thought that counts, can tech-enhanced emotional intelligence really make us feel more valued at work?"</p><p><a href="https://www.ft.com/content/abee0887-f723-464e-9cd8-c429b171abc8" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">ft.com/content/abee0887-f723-4</span><span class="invisible">64e-9cd8-c429b171abc8</span></a></p><p><a href="https://tldr.nettime.org/tags/AI" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AI</span></a> <a href="https://tldr.nettime.org/tags/GenerativeAI" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>GenerativeAI</span></a> <a href="https://tldr.nettime.org/tags/Workhuman" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Workhuman</span></a> <a href="https://tldr.nettime.org/tags/HR" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>HR</span></a> <a href="https://tldr.nettime.org/tags/Dystopia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Dystopia</span></a></p>
eddiebbot<p><span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://mastodon.social/@eddiebbot" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>eddiebbot</span></a></span> 2/2 increasingly into debt. Economically, the whole thing is increasingly impossible. In other words, these techniques mean growing difficulties and impasses in economic life. --Jaques Ellul, The Technological Bluff (1988) <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/dystopia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>dystopia</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/technology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>technology</span></a></p>
Dr. Amy H. Sturgis 📖<p>I’m rereading the 1952 <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/ScienceFiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ScienceFiction</span></a> classic <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/TheSpaceMerchants" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>TheSpaceMerchants</span></a> by <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/FrederikPohl" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>FrederikPohl</span></a> and <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/CMKornbluth" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>CMKornbluth</span></a> before teaching it again this summer. It’s always been compelling, but wow, it hits different in 2025. </p><p><a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/Dystopia" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Dystopia</span></a> <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/VintageScienceFiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>VintageScienceFiction</span></a> <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/SFF" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>SFF</span></a> <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/Books" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Books</span></a> <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/Bookstodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Bookstodon</span></a></p>
eddiebbot<p><span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://mastodon.social/@eddiebbot" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>eddiebbot</span></a></span> 2/2 be set up to exercise control. These are hidden costs. It is the famous question of the internalization of external factors. --Jaques Ellul, The Technological Bluff (1988) <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/dystopia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>dystopia</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/technology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>technology</span></a></p>
Steve Thompson PhD<p>Credit where it's due for this repulsively dystopian new practice: Marco Rubio.</p><p>"What to know about Nayib Bukele, El Salvador's president who will visit Trump"</p><p><a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/04/14/trump-bukele-visit-el-salvador-gang-deportations" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">axios.com/2025/04/14/trump-buk</span><span class="invisible">ele-visit-el-salvador-gang-deportations</span></a></p><p>Bukele — the self-described "world's coolest dictator" —agreed to warehouse migrants and criminals deported from the U.S. in its notorious prison system, solidifying the country as a key ally for the Trump administration.</p><p><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Trump" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Trump</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Rubio" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Rubio</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/dystopia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>dystopia</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/totalitarianism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>totalitarianism</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/prisons" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>prisons</span></a> <br> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/ElSalvador" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ElSalvador</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Bukele" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Bukele</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/press" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>press</span></a></p>
AI6YR Ben<p>"I Tested The AI That Calls Your Elderly Parents If You Can't Be Bothered" </p><p>😱 </p><p> h/t <span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://infosec.exchange/@codinghorror" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>codinghorror</span></a></span> </p><p><a href="https://www.404media.co/i-tested-the-ai-that-calls-your-elderly-parents-if-you-cant-bothered/?ref=daily-stories-newsletter" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">404media.co/i-tested-the-ai-th</span><span class="invisible">at-calls-your-elderly-parents-if-you-cant-bothered/?ref=daily-stories-newsletter</span></a></p><p><a href="https://m.ai6yr.org/tags/ai" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ai</span></a> <a href="https://m.ai6yr.org/tags/dystopia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>dystopia</span></a></p>
eddiebbot<p><span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://mastodon.social/@eddiebbot" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>eddiebbot</span></a></span> 2/2 reacts by making possible new discoveries. Much technical progress is of value in making scientific development possible. And since science is the final justification of our Western world, money devoted to these technical exploits seems to be legitimately spent. --Jaques Ellul, The Technological Bluff (1988) <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/dystopia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>dystopia</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/technology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>technology</span></a></p>
eddiebbot<p>The legitimacy of power is no longer religious or democratic. Power affirms itself scientifically. Science validates it because it can do nothing without power. For the public, science is the great goddess which it cannot question and which validates those who serve it. --Jaques Ellul, The Technological Bluff (1988) <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/dystopia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>dystopia</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/technology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>technology</span></a></p>
Dr. Amy H. Sturgis 📖<p><a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/FreeTalk" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>FreeTalk</span></a>! On May 3 from 2-2:30pm Eastern, I&#39;ll be giving a <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/free" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>free</span></a> online talk on <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/TheLastMan" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>TheLastMan</span></a> by <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/MaryShelley" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>MaryShelley</span></a>. This talk previews my month-long &quot;Meet The Last Man&quot; module with SPACE (Signum Portals for Adult Continuing Education) <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/online" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>online</span></a> via <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/SignumUniversity" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>SignumUniversity</span></a>, which is scheduled for June 2025. This is part of the SPACE Showcase day of programming.</p><p>Everyone is invited!</p><p>Teaser: <a href="https://youtu.be/tzV-5T-td38?si=19zzTmQW-W6_w7mG" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">youtu.be/tzV-5T-td38?si=19zzTm</span><span class="invisible">QW-W6_w7mG</span></a></p><p>Info on the May 3 talk: <a href="https://blackberry.signumuniversity.org/events/2025-spring-space-showcase/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">blackberry.signumuniversity.or</span><span class="invisible">g/events/2025-spring-space-showcase/</span></a></p><p><a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/ScienceFiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ScienceFiction</span></a> <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/Dystopia" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Dystopia</span></a> <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/EcoGothic" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>EcoGothic</span></a> <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/Gothic" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Gothic</span></a> <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/SFF" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>SFF</span></a> <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/PlagueLit" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>PlagueLit</span></a> <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/Books" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Books</span></a> <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/Bookstodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Bookstodon</span></a> <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/OnlineEvent" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>OnlineEvent</span></a></p>
eddiebbot<p><span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://mastodon.social/@eddiebbot" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>eddiebbot</span></a></span> 3/3 when we meet with secrecy on every hand: the secrecy of laboratories, of administrators, of experts, of technicians, of politicians, etc. --Jaques Ellul, The Technological Bluff (1988) <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/dystopia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>dystopia</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/technology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>technology</span></a></p>
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