Evolution of Technology and Data Collection Across Various Industries

17min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

Exploring the evolution of technology from the early days of the World Wide Web to the current era of smartphones, AI, and platform-based services. The chapter discusses the impact of tech advancements on society, focusing on the monetization of user data, the concentration of service provision among a few competitors, and the uncertainties around AI-generated content on the web. It also delves into how data collection is expanding into everyday devices, like cars and fridges, transforming industries such as insurance and agricultural equipment.

We claim to love all of our children, friends, and students equally. But perhaps deep down you assign a ranking to them, from favorite to not-so-favorite. Ranking and quantifying people is an irresistible human tendency, and modern technology has made it ubiquitous. In this episode I talk with sociologist Kieran Healy, who has co-authored (with Marion Fourcade) the new book The Ordinal Society, about how our lives are measured and processed by the technological ecosystem around us. We discuss how this has changed how relate to ourselves and the wider world.

Support Mindscape on Patreon.

Blog post with transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/06/10/278-kieran-healy-on-the-technology-of-ranking-people/

Kieran Healy received his Ph.D. in sociology from Princeton University. He is currently a professor of sociology at Duke University, and a member of the Kenan Institute for Ethics. As an undergraduate at University College Cork he won the Irish Times National Debating competition. He has a longstanding interest in data visualization.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.