In class we discussed how the history of modern computing can be traced back to various technological innovations from thinkers like Leibniz, Babbage, Lovelace.  We can also complicate that narrative to include the histories of women in computing as well as the manifold of applications and innovations from various fields and disciplines.

If the history about the origins of computing can be deconstructed, problematized, and challenged, so too can the contemporary discourse about tech and progress. In the modern age, technology is said to connect us to friends and thus create a “global community.” While innovations like the world wide web have made many aspects of our lives better, we also seem to be in an identity crisis of what the future of the internet will be.

Consider for example three tech giants Google, Amazon, and Facebook. Although it began as a search engine google’s revenue stream comes from selling direct advertising space. What does it mean for search engines to privilege content based on who can pay the most? Amazon began as a platform for buying and selling books, but is now a trillion dollar company that makes the majority of its money by selling server space and has well documented cases of abusing its workers. Facebook began as a tool to connect college students and, like google, has monetized its platform by selling direct advertisements and sold advertisements designed to influence the outcome of a presidential election.

In other words, our discussions about modern technology should also include the difficult problems that come with “Progress.”