neil postman

If you are the type who doesn’t care about what people think since it’s more efficient to “just do it,” then we may not be a match. It sounds like you believe in progressive value systems and the cult of efficiency. I’m not interested in that sort of relationship with a person or a technology. I don’t appreciate how writing technologies are becoming more efficient. The “Like” button—and now “Reactions” —frame “traditional” writing as inefficient in favor of the demands of prefab or “readymade rhetoric” (Muhlhauser and Kachur).

I’m afraid of Technopoly and technopolists because their profiles are “without a moral center. It puts in its place efficiency, interest, and economic advance. It promises heaven on earth through the conveniences of technological progress. It casts aside all traditional narratives and symbols that suggest stability and orderliness, and tells, instead, of a life of skills, technical expertise, and the ecstasy of consumption. Its purpose is to produce functionaries for an ongoing Technopoly.” (Me).

Cliché might be said to be part of the technopolist’s toolkit. They’re “readymade” rhetoric for efficient communication. Of course, they can be helpful, especially with dating. “Breaking up is hard to do” and giving oneself a break from feelings of failure is significant. But that doesn’t mean they should all get a pass. Context is important. The cliché “don’t care what people think” can be very harmful. A lack of consequences, a lack of considering stakeholders in design decisions, and a lack of empathy seem to be the dangers of copy/paste culture and its continual use of cliché. A simple find/replace reveals a more technofeminist principle, one that is a little more inefficient, but quite empathetic: Care what people think.” Cliché is not very technofeminist. Only message me if you are a technofeminist. No technopolists please.