TED Tech
Is technology our savior — or our slayer? | Ruha Benjamin
Episode guests
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- The dominant narratives of technology-driven utopias or dystopias concentrate power in the hands of few, so we need to reclaim our agency and prioritize collective well-being through intentional design and collective action.
- By centering human inputs, responding to actual needs, and leveraging capital for social solutions, we can strive for a more equitable and just future that prioritizes environmental, social, and economic justice.
Deep dives
Questioning who benefits from rapid technological advancement
In this podcast episode, Dr. Ruha Benjamin urges us to examine who is benefiting from rapid technological progress. She highlights that the current dominant narratives of technology-driven utopias or dystopias both share an underlying logic where power is concentrated in the hands of few. Dr. Benjamin emphasizes the need to reclaim our agency by imagining and creating 'us-topias,' collective futures that prioritize collective well-being over the concentration of power and resources. She presents examples like the Decidim platform in Barcelona, which enables inclusive, participatory policymaking, and the mobilization in Atlanta against the militarization of the city, demonstrating how people can shape their own futures through collective action and intentional design.
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