The Gospel of Tech

  • #digital-culture
  • #consent

Tech has always presented itself as secular. Yet, it promises to save us (opens in new tab), perfect us (opens in new tab), and make us immortal (opens in new tab). The Gospel of Tech: Redemption Through Design was my interpretation of that narrative.

I was most interested in transhumanism, the unconscious mind, and how easily faith can become submission. What parts of ourselves are we projecting onto these systems, and what do we hope they’ll allow us to become?

We must also consider what we’re willing to give in return for these promises. The ‘Empowerment Cycle’ was born out of this project, to expand on the definition of digital literacy.

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Using technology efficiently and responsibly requires us to recognize the influence of lived experience on our online behavior. But that responsibility doesn’t rest with netizens alone. Designers must be upfront about what they’re asking their users to consent to, so they can decide whether it aligns with their needs and values.

I wanted to develop these questions via my senior thesis, but unfortunately wasn’t able to because it was not “tech enough". See Viral Infrastructures Capstone.

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