The Paradox of Technological Liberation

Technologies are advancing at an unimaginable rate, transforming the way we live, work, and interact. We have robots that autonomously clean our homes, cars that drive themselves with remarkable precision, and drones that deliver packages right to our doorsteps. Moreover, there are apps that can assist us in finding new job opportunities when we lose ours to these very robots, cars, or drones. On the surface, these advancements seem to fulfill the futuristic dreams we've been hearing about for years on television.

Yet, as promising as these developments appear, there is an underlying concern that we must address: the idea that having everything we want might not be entirely beneficial.

The crux of the issue lies not in what these technologies are doing to us, but rather in what we are doing to these technologies. The focus here is specifically on technological innovation today, which can be described as the leisure of liberation model of technological design. This concept, which can be traced back to Aristotle, is quite simple: "the less we have to work, the more human we become." For Aristotle, this notion served as an argument for slavery. By having slaves perform all the undesirable work, the rest of society could aspire to become the virtuous humans they were meant to be. This idea also finds resonance in the works of Karl Marx, who envisioned a society where central planning would liberate both slaves and owners alike by managing undesirable work.

In today's context, we certainly consider ourselves to be beyond the eras of slavery and central planning, viewing them as reprehensible and dehumanizing. However, it seems that we have merely altered the definitions of slavery and central planning. While we reject the enslavement of humans, we find it perfectly acceptable to design artificially intelligent beings and dictate their actions. Similarly, although we condemn state interference in our personal affairs, we willingly accept algorithms that govern what we can and cannot do. This raises a crucial question: despite having more leisure time than ever before, are we truly more liberated, freer, and more human?

The Illusion of Leisure

Consider the popular phrase "Netflix and chill." This slogan, which has become a cultural phenomenon, encapsulates the idea of having fun while leaving Netflix to handle all the work. With algorithms that can seamlessly select content tailored to our preferences, Netflix offers us the freedom to relax and enjoy. However, this seemingly innocuous concept can be reimagined as "Netflix and freeze to death." If thinking and acting define our humanity, are we inadvertently allowing technologies to become more human, while we become less so?

The problem is not that technologies are incapable of liberating us. On the contrary, they hold revolutionary potential. Netflix, for instance, can be a tool for education and enlightenment. Twitter can foster unity among diverse groups, while Facebook can facilitate the sharing of meaningful experiences. Yet, despite this potential, we often fail to harness it. The issue is that many of us appear uninterested in liberation; perhaps we even resist the notion of becoming more human. In this lies the flaw in the thinking of Aristotle and Marx, a flaw that the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche identified over a century ago as the disease of nihilism.

Nihilism, the embrace of nothingness and the belief that nothing matters, can manifest in various forms. It is crucial to recognize that nihilism is not limited to a depressive resignation from the world. It can be active, participatory, and even joyous. Consider the classic Batman villain, the Joker, who seeks chaos simply because he can and revels in it. Think of the people who voted for Brexit, only to search for "what is Brexit" the following day. According to Nietzsche, we employ five primary strategies to embrace nihilism and evade reality: self-hypnosis, mechanical activity, petty pleasures, herd formations, and orgies of feeling. Most, if not all, of us are guilty of engaging in these strategies.

Reclaiming Responsibility

Let us examine the concept of orgies of feeling, which was Nietzsche's primary concern as it exacerbates the sickness of society. In the past, one had to wait for an inquisition, a witch trial, or a revolution to partake in a violent and emotional outburst that could engulf an entire society. Today, all it takes is logging into Facebook or Twitter, observing what's trending, and joining the digital frenzy. The content's nature—positive or negative—matters little; what matters is the sheer number of participants, which allows us to propagate any message we desire while feeling justified and anonymous.

It is essential to understand that these nihilistic comforts are not new. What is new is how we leverage technology to amplify and disseminate our nihilism. Consider a more specific example: on November 5th, 2017, a story was posted on Facebook by the nonexistent "Denver Guardian" about an FBI agent involved in the investigation of Hillary Clinton's emails who mysteriously died. The story was shared over 560,000 times, making it comparable to the most shared stories of reputable sources like the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times. The concern is not the story itself, nor its timing during the election week, but rather the fact that there is no such entity as the "Denver Guardian." Whether or not we shared this story or any of the countless fake stories circulating on Facebook, we are complicit in the problem.

By normalizing the time we spend on social media, responding to clickbait headlines without reading the articles, competing for likes and retweets, trusting articles solely based on their share count, and tolerating cyberbullying and hacking, we all contribute to the issue. One potential solution is to bring freedom and responsibility back together. In other words, we must become responsible. Responsibility is not merely an action; it is an inherent quality. Being responsible means being human, being an individual, and being able to say, "I did this, and here's why." This doesn't require breaking social conventions to showcase uniqueness. It necessitates introspection, recognizing our nihilistic tendencies, and understanding the reasons behind our reluctance to make decisions, take charge, and be independent.

As Nietzsche eloquently stated, "You have to become who you are." Many of us may claim, "I'd love to be an introspective and engaged individual, but who has the time?" This is nihilism speaking, not reality. The problem is not a lack of time but a lack of desire to pursue what we have time for. We are getting better at outsourcing responsibility to technologies, and consequently, we are outsourcing our humanity as well. Leisure is not liberating us to become more human; it is liberating us from being human. This is what we must resist. We must become responsible, ensuring that this does not happen to us or our friends. Don't Netflix and freeze to death; instead, reclaim your humanity and embrace the responsibility that defines it.

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