RECOMMENDED READING
Of all the policy debates taking place on the Right, perhaps none tests old assumptions more than the debate over the Digital Revolution. From gig work to the all-powerful algorithms of Big Tech, Silicon Valley innovations have vastly improved elements of our livesābut they have extracted a cost to our social order, ways of engagement and even our general understanding of liberty that is, in many ways, not yet fully understood.
Over at American Compass, these questions are beginning to take substantive shapeāfirst, by defining the issues, and then, by considering the relevant benefits and trade-offs. One of the more intimidating features of the policy debate around so-called “Big Tech” and the Digital Revolution is its sheer scope. What is Big Tech? And how wide and deep is the issue? So it is helpful, as Compass’ Executive Director Oren Cass notes, to divide the challenge into constituent parts that, for the present examination, include gig work, the attention economy and black box algorithms.
Recommended Reading
Saving Kids from Big Tech with Chris Griswold
American Compass policy director Chris Griswold discusses the historical parallels between child labor in the 19thĀ century and kidsā use of social media today, and suggests steps that policymakers can take to protect them from its harms.
Reflections on the Digital Revolution
The problems and challenges posed by what is often referred to as āBig Techā should primarily be understood as novel instantiations of age-old issues.
Curtailing Big Tech Requires Much More Than Breaking It Up
American Compass executive director Oren Cass makes the case for disaggregating the Big Tech debate and givingĀ greater focus to the digital ageās novel challenges.