humane technology
Some thought's I've had about the direction I want to see software (and the world) move towards.
I think that in 2022 software isn't designed for humans (very funny because technically it is designed for computers). Software is designed for the sake of shareholder profits and market success we've moved software design towards being designed for metrics that are at odds with making the user's life better.
I think the exception to this rule is developer focused applications [NEED EXAMPLES], which are often the result of a single person's dedication or are open-source collaborative projects.
Not to say that large scale financial products didn't begin as an individual's passion project which gained success and has been contorted into a marketable monstrocity.
I recognize the argument that your software needs funding in order to be good, so if we tack on data collection or add targeting to software to keep it afloat that is a net positive, and while I don't have a direct rebuttle for how one can succeed in life without the means to live, it feels like that argument is lacking ambition. Should we not strive to improve the world and not be complacent with the status quo?
Software, and specifically software designed for mass amounts of users, online public forums (social media), smart phones, libraries of humanity (youtube, vimeo, tiktok) need to be designed from the ground up to be caring, thoughtful and concious of the human's who visit them. I believe that the internet is a powerful tool for connecting the world, but that digital garden has been razed, fenced, and a hefty admission charged for entry. Our collective ideas are incentivized to be less meaningful by algorithms that solve for wasting our time and making money.
I want an internet accessible by everyone. I want our lives offline to be longer. I want application's that make you want to stop using them! I want to leave my computer/phone because I've been inspired by someone or I've connected with someone in my town!
I have a fundamental want for less! Less distraction, less bullshit, less content! No more content! I cannot fathom a word that mutates the human condition into something more disgusting. Creativity and inginuity are not content. Our lives aren't meant to be chewed up and spat out. It is meant to warm hearts and change lives.
*notes:
When i say humanity, I mean both the world of humans, but also the wider connection we have with the world.