That's the thing though: The billions have been there for a while, but the bad corporate behavior is relatively new from tech.

When one says "tech" like in the linked article, one is really talking about the advertising-supported internet and subscription models. A few nerds might participate in creating that themselves because they work for FAANG, but overall nerds are insulated from that because they know how to install uBlock Origin, they use the terminally unpopular Mastodon, they still use a desktop computer a lot instead of phone apps, etc. No sign that that kind of nerddom is experiencing any kind of increase in social prestige.

Like doing dance videos, aspiring to be influencers and trying to pump up their follows and interactions?

rebelling against the social contract after decades of perceived neglect , a subset of the nerd class uprises and promptly stomps freedom out of existence. thus, a small amount of nerds act to cement the legacy of all nerds as dweebs. if only zuckerberg or thiel got the nerd kicked out of them. alas, bullying is considered a universal no no in contemporary western discourse, to protect those same nerds currently seeking to puppet the world to their lame ends. bring back bullying I say!

Nothing new really, this is how US big business operate. Tech is no different from fossil fuel, chemical or medical insurance lobbies. Anyone still remembers Ethyl corporation shenanigans and the Clair Patterson odyssey? We haven't moved on, they still do the same, just the suits change style and there are few gadgets around...

Obviously not. Some of those are the new asbestos, the new lead, the new Robber Barons, etc

Would it be terrible thing if the answers to all of your rhetorical questions was "yes"?

As we become more democratic we can control these greedy, careless and horrid people.

Ignoring negative externalities is such a twentieth century way to get rich.

> Zuck: "They 'trust me'"

> Zuck: "Dumb fucks"

- 2004

I get you're saying we all know already, but come on, that's a mean thing to say about a blog putting effort into researching the problem.

Interesting that you compare Meta and Google to Dow, Bayer, and DuPont, because to me, that's actually a pretty good praise.

Just look at the products these companies have created, the common theme being plastics, they essentially defined the modern age. We sometimes call eras by the material that defines it: stone age, bronze age, etc... We are now in the plastic age: look around you, what doesn't make use some kind of synthetic polymer. Even if you actively seek to avoid plastic, you are going to find gaskets, electrical insulators, coatings, etc... and electronics of course.

If it wasn't for these companies, we would be living like we did 100 years ago, which is easy to romanticize, but look at life expectancy during that time, so, no thank you.

Did they do bad things? Of course they did, very bad things even, leaded gasoline comes to mind. But overall, I would rather be in a world where these companies exist than one where they don't. But for the tobacco industry, a world without them is, I think, unquestionably better.

Meta and Google? I'd say it is like the chemical industry, but on a lesser degree, they do good, they do bad, but overall a net positive. It means I agree with your second sentence, though in a different way.

You are comparing the sins of corporations that have been around for over 100 years and world wars to one that has been around a couple decades? Give Meta some time, they seem to have aspirations.

Meta helped commit genocide: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/09/myanmar-faceb...

Both are also hyper Zionist and complicit in the genocide of Palestinians.

Ultimately it all comes down to marketing and selling you products and social media is the glue holding this whole charade up. AI can help us create new apps etc but you still have to find a market. At the core, SM is what drives the doom cart forward.

+1

the title should be social media. tech is also what you rely on when you travel, climb or after you break your neck.

Social media is a subset of tech though.

Adtech is the part that makes the money. Even OpenAI's best idea to monetize is "put ads in it"

that's about the maturity level the average reporter has

> I doubt tech right now can be equated with tobacco, its use does not kill.

I don't think that's true. Tech kills plenty of people.

Things like e.g. social media don't kill, you're right. They merely eat your soul and leave your body a shambling husk. Much better.

Social media is demonstrably bad for mental health. Paired with phones it's even worse. Facebook stopped their internal research before it began calculating the body count, but there absolutely is one. I've attached one source, but these findings are widely reported, and you will find many more with a cursory search.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/23/meta-internal-research-socia...

It helped kill a bunch of school children in Iran. AI use has lead to other deaths as well.

ehh... social media is a net negative on suicide rates (meaning more suicides). It would not be hard to argue social media enables deaths.