22/01/2025
FROM SOCIAL MEDIA TO AI: A TECH MORAL PANIC?🤔
In recent years, the promise of technology as a tool for democratizing knowledge & fostering connection has given way to fears of its darker side. From artificial intelligence shaping public perception with deepfakes to social media fueling polarization & identity-driven tribalism, a “tech moral panic” has taken root. But is technology really the problem, or is the issue deeper, tied to how we interact with & shape the tools we create?
In this article, we revisit the conversation* held in Stockholm with Timandra Harkness, author of Technology is Not the Problem, and historian Johan Gärdebo. Moderated by Alastair Donald, convenor of the Battle of Ideas Festival, the discussion explored whether the current crisis is rooted in technology itself or in the way we, as individuals and societies, use it. Their insights challenge us to consider whether our obsession with identity, affirmation, and belonging might be the true driver behind today’s cultural and political divides—and to rethink what it means to live in an age defined by algorithms and artificial intelligence.
