* Facecrook

What computerized analysis of all the country's school tests has done to education is exactly what Facebook has done to friendships. In both cases, life is turned into a database.  Both degradations are based on the same philosophical mistake, which is the belief that computers can presently represent human thought or human relationships. These are things computers cannot currently do... We don't understand the brain well enough to comprehend phenomena like education or friendship on a scientific basis.  So when we deploy a computer model of something like learning or friendship in a way that has an effect on real lives, we are relying on faith.  When we ask people to live their lives through our models, we are potentially reducing life itself.  How can we ever know what we might be losing?


(kindle, 1392+)

Jaron Lanier

You Are Not a Gadget