By Beverly Jones

Here’s a suggestion I hadn’t heard: Be a cat if you don’t want to be overtaken by modern society. Jaron Lanier, in his new book, points out that to survive with soul intact in our helter-skelter, digital culture we’d do better to be more like cats than dogs:

“How can you remain anonymous [and free] in a world where you are under constant surveillance and are constantly prodded by algorithms run by some of the richest corporations in history, which have no way of making money except by being paid to manipulate your behavior?”

Actually, now that I think about it – this “cat idea” applies to more than subservience to algorithms and social media. How about pharmaceutical companies and western medicine that decide for me how I should live and what I should ingest. According to Lanier blindly following dictates that surround us is acting like a “dog,” trained to obey. The phrase “dog whistle” means something after all; as does “herding cats.”

I’ve always been more cat than dog. I guess I acquired my love of personal freedom as a youngster who had minimal supervision. I learned early the benefits of making my own decisions – that I could chose which of other people’s rules I would follow.

Like the fish who doesn’t see the water it’s in, many of us – especially young people – do not see our own social milieu, especially in these electronic times. Most of us seem unaware that the dog-obedient structure of Facebook and Google can take us to places and behaviors we would not ordinarily choose. Donald Trump, Twitter addict, seems to think he knows – everything. It feels as if he’d be satisfied if we all turned into obedient “dogs” with him as the “alpha male” of course.

Lanier’s background as pioneer digital guru (his team created virtual reality) and current experimental scientist with Microsoft gives credence to his urgent request that people exit social media – particularly Facebook and Google. He describes those business models as dangerous to people: that we’re being unconsciously driven and controlled by algorithms that are directed to our lesser selves, in order that the companies make money.

Lanier quotes Chamath Palihapitiya – former vice-president of user growth at Facebook:

“The short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops we’ve created are destroying how society works…No civil discourse no cooperation; misinformation, mistruth.
…I feel tremendous guilt. …I think in the back, deep, deep recesses of, we kind of knew something bad could happen. It [social media] is eroding the core foundation of how people behave by and between each other.”

Mea culpa: I do have a Facebook account which is essentially inactive – just what a bonafide participant-observer like me would do. I wanted to see what it was that held people’s interests – staying in touch with grandchildren seemed a positive, benign activity. However, Lanier is most upset that social media is, basically, not social:

“When it was designed, “the internet in itself didn’t include a mechanism for personal identity…Each computer has its own code number, but people aren’t represented at all. …it doesn’t give you any place to store even a small amount of persistent information…or any way to find other people you might have something in common with.”

Because there isn’t any way to move to different social media accounts, even if we wanted to – Lanier says:

“Quitting entirely is the only option for change. If you don’t quit, you are not creating the space in which Silicon Valley can act to improve itself.”

So what’s so insidious about communicating with your grandchildren? Lanier says it’s because “we are all carrying around devices that are suitable for mass behavior modification.”
And that…

“The problem occurs when all the [negative effects] are driven by a business model in which the incentive is to find customers ready to pay to modify someone else’s behavior. …Your specific behavior change has been turned into a product.”

Like, maybe, by the Russians?!!

If I’m not an active Facebook or Twitter user, what difference does it make that there’s this whole, new world out there? I’m not exactly sure. I certainly don’t know enough to evaluate that world accurately, Lanier does.

But, I do know by listening to the confusing news these days, that there’s something going on that’s beyond our usual, known controls. That “something” is creeping closer and closer to my life. It may affect my vote, it may help determine the principles on which people are elected, the increase in depression in children.

It certainly seems to be turning us into warring political “gangs.” In this gun culture, that’s scary indeed.

I trust Jaron Lanier. He seems to know and shines light into our enveloping digital darkness.

Bye, bye Facebook.
(Google and Amazon are a bit harder).

Beverly Jones, Creative Commons 2018
Do Good. Together.

Feature photo courtesy Pixabay.com