PODCAST INTERVIEW: The Overview Effect -Seeing The Humanity in a Tech-Obsessed World.
Spotify link here:
James Perrin from the Overview Effect Podcast interviews safe technology advocate and founder of We Are Not SAM , Rinat Strahlhofer
The endless march of technological progress has and continues to bring us many amazing benefits in life. But we’re in a stage now where changes are being made so rapidly and with such complexity that we’re seeing awful physical and psychological impacts from our misuse, and the corruption of, technology.
In a world of cyber attacks, privacy breaches, data farming, surveillance, and intrusive practices (such as facial recognition scanning), we can’t keep up with the role and impact of big tech in our lives. Well, this is what Rinat speaks to as an advocate for safe tech. She asks ‘What is an appropriate relationship with technology?’
Rinat shares her personal story from being a young marketer at Telstra, on a corporate career trajectory and being part of the rollout of the 3G wireless network. Through that she saw the haphazard and frankly unsafe way we’re approaching tech, which led her to want to use her voice to advocate for a system rethink.
In this conversation Rinat shares specific industry information such as the way in which technological standards are set and tested, and some of the practical dangers of being constantly exposed to electromagnetic frequencies. Rinat sheds light on the psychological problems that we’re just only scratching the surface of; like the fact that we’re so reliant on our phones. We talk about manipulative marketing tactics, cognitive dissonance, the lack of the precautionary principle, conspiracy theories, the growing influence of big tech, dopamine addictions, being an apocoloptimists, and so much more.
But the essence of this conversation is that we don’t need to be asleep at the wheel, mindlessly scrolling and consuming our way through life. We can choose HOW we want to interact with the world around us (natural or engineered) in a discerning and meaningful way, and then take steps towards that, together.
