Tech Won't Save Us

Tech Criticism Before the Techlash w/ Zachary Loeb

Paris Marx is joined by Zachary Loeb to discuss the history of tech criticism with a focus on Joseph Weizenbaum and Lewis Mumford, as well as why the techlash is a narrative that suits Silicon Valley. Zachary Loeb is a PhD candidate at the University of Pennsylvania whose dissertation research looks at Y2K. Follow Zachary on Twitter as <a href="https://twitter.com/libshipwreck">@libshipwreck</a>, and check out his <a href="https://librarianshipwreck.wordpress.com">Librarian Shipwreck</a> blog. 🚨 T-shirts are <a href="https://www.bonfire.com/store/tech-wont-save-us/">now available</a>! Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (<a href="https://twitter.com/techwontsaveus">@techwontsaveus</a>) and host Paris Marx (<a href="https://twitter.com/parismarx">@parismarx</a>) on Twitter, and support the show on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/techwontsaveus">Patreon</a>. Find out more about Harbinger Media Network at<a href="https://harbingermedianetwork.com/"> harbingermedianetwork.com</a>. Also mentioned in this episode:Zachary wrote about <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/12/30/lessons-yk-years-later/">Y2K</a>, Lewis Mumford’s <a href="https://www.boundary2.org/2018/07/loeb/">criticisms on technology</a>, the <a href="https://librarianshipwreck.wordpress.com/2016/07/27/an-island-of-reason-in-the-cyberstream-on-the-life-and-thought-of-joseph-weizenbaum/">life and thought</a> of Joseph Weizenbaum, and <a href="https://librarianshipwreck.wordpress.com/2021/06/10/theses-on-techno-optimism/">theses on techno-optimism</a>.Books mentioned: “<a href="https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501746413/dismantlings/#bookTabs=1">Dismantlings: Words against Machines in the American Long Seventies</a>” by Matt Tierney.<a href="https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus" rel="payment">Support the show</a>

Silicon Valley wants to shape our future, but why should we let it? Every Thursday, Paris Marx is joined by a new guest to critically examine the tech industry, its big promises, and the people behind them. Tech Won’t Save Us challenges the notion that tech alone can drive our world forward by showing that separating tech from politics has consequences for us all, especially the most vulnerable. It’s not your usual tech podcast.