Readings

Framing Questions

• What does technology criticism look like in practice?
• How is the relationship between technology companies and journalism affecting critical journalism?
• How can criticism help surface the assumptions and values behind technologies and their development?
• Which writers — critics or otherwise — contribute to the public discourse about technology and society, and how?

Foundations of Tech Criticism

How have public intellectuals and theorists approached technological change in the past? How is technology criticism changing?

• Jacques Ellul, The Technological Society (1964)
  • Read this instead: Michael Sacasas, “Jacques Ellul On Adaptation of Human Beings to the Technical Milieu” (2014)
• Kevin White, “The Killer App” (1994)

Silicon Valley + The Media

How is the relationship between technology companies and journalism changing? How does this limit the critical voice of the media in holding technology powers accountable to society? When revenue and access to audience are mediated by technology powers, how does this constrain who can afford to publish probing criticism about technology?

Read either this:

• Adrienne Lafrance, “Access, Accountability Reporting, and Silicon Valley” (2016)

Or these:

• Mike Ananny, “It’s Time to Reimagine the Role of a Public Editor, Starting at The New York Times” (2016)
• Pick one of these two:
  • John Herrman, “Tech is Eating Media. Now What?” (2015)
  • Emily Bell, “Facebook Is Eating the World” (2016)
• Pick one of these two:
  • Ben Smith, “Uber Executive Suggests Digging Up Dirt on Journalists” (2014)
  • Ben Smith, “Uber Executive Suggests Digging Up Dirt on Journalists” (2016)

Critic = Luddite/Anti-Progress?