How Technology is 'Downgrading Humans' (Tristan Harris X Capgemini)

Tristan Harris presents on 1) why humans as a species are vulnerable to technology, 2) why it’s so hard to solve the issues of social media algorithms, artificial intelligence, and exponential tech, and 3) what it will take to come together to avoid these existential threats.

This event and discussion was organized by Capgemini, a global leader in consulting, technology services and digital transformation, and took place on November 14, 2019 in San Francisco.

[PatrickFerryCoach]

Thank you Tristan this is CRITICAL information to mobilize bright people. Just bums me out to see low views and subscriber counts.

[alaalfa]

I want to share some good ideas about what Abraham HIcks said in her seminars, videos... She said people are several times in a vortex or "state of flow" during the day... When they forget of their identity, their importance, their position, but just focus on their job or hobby, without distractions...They are in that state even without realizing it or forcing it. It's an automatic process.

But she said if you want to get in a vortex or flow intentionally.... You have to find something "easy" to get there.

Well I was thinking something "easy".... means some easy thought or humble thought or 5-minute exercise, or a 5-minute shower, or making coffee, something that is very easy to think about.
Or I think something "easy" maybe be also tuning in what you enjoy doing...Some people enjoy doing 10-minute yoga, some enjoy walking in the forest, some enjoy reading articles or listening to music.. And you feel so much passion, the inspiration that nothing may distract you. Because heavy topics usually distract the mind. Heavy goals also distract the mind and if you want to start some project you have to start with an easy mind and easy thoughts, not with doubtful thoughts or a perfectionistic attitude.
Maybe it may help you to implement some easy tools that will not be distracting for people but motivating.

[keitht.]

This is the most important topic of today's era. I'm trying to create an educational platform for the young to understand these points so they don't toss their lives. Public tech companies will compete for the dollar and with each other for their shareholders. Govt. is in bed with big corporations so policy here isn't a choice... until it must be.

[EliUnityGoldsmith]

Important content needed to be discussed…globally :)

[alaalfa]

This is the best comment by Andrea Laing not about the internet but about meditation practice.

"Attention is the highest currency you have, therefore everybody wants your attention, your friends, television, media etc.
Including you.
including your own ego, wants your own attention, constantly interrupting you from your passion.
Therefore you have to bring it back with your meditation and with your breath 100 times a day."

And as Dr. Joe Dispenza says statistically people lose attention 6 times per minute.

[VladtheeImpaler]

Oculus quest 2 having kids create fb acct to use. TRAP. Thank you Tristan Harris for Enlightening us, or at least breaking it down so we can understand the problem better. Let’s all work together for the greater good.

[gordonpepper]

This is very well constructed and presented. His ability to break down individually the eight issues we must address and work on is absolutely brilliant. Tristan's initial point that electronic technology is tapping into our primordial instincts is so important to recognize. Our prefrontal-cortex, brain activity (developed thru language) is diminishing at an alarming rate. Of course all of these ideas from Tristan were outlined by Canadian Marshall McLuhan 60 years ago (a true genius) but it is people like Tristan and CHT that is bringing all of McLuhan's ideas to light.

[sebvenancio]

Wonderful talk with lots of ideas to think about and act!

[MarkWhiteartist]

I'm going to watch this over 5 times before I understand exactly what he's saying.

[Savoia_S._]

We cannot be trusted with the stuff that we come up with;
The machinery could eat us, we just really just love our buttons.

Mindful Solutionism - Aesop Rock

[Hello_kitty_]

Thank you so much for your work! As a product manager you have inspired me to do something about it as well. I want to help you spread your envagelism.

[bakus]

This presentation really says it all. Amazing explanation. Greatly done. Awesome vision that we all humans should work on achieving. It is really needed. Keep it up u guys. ❤

[elizabethpeterson]

What an absolutely awesome teacher he would make...enhancing young minds in a perfect way😄

[JonathanDavisKookaburra]

with a great deal of respect and appreciation for your work Tristan, paleolithic people are not chimps. hunter-gatherers from the paleolythic era were generally biologically the same as us for 300, 000 years and likely the same in terms of cognition for at least 70, 000 years. the problem with your analogy, despite the power of imagining chimps with nukes for impact, is that it associates hunter-gatherers who still exist today with chimps. which seems to be accidentally quite racist. just suggesting you consider a different way of framing that point.

keep up the awesome work. i consider you and Daniel Schmachtenberger the key thought leaders of our time.

[clarayorkofficial]

I am crying while my brain is on fire with all that you are offering up. My goal is to get this out to all of my people. I would really appreciate your advice on how to do that? Should we share via email and text instead of social media? I have never shared anything political on my sm for reasons you are outlining here.

[outdoorpublishers]

To have humane tech we’re going to need humane economics/economic incentives. Only when it is not profitable to mine human attention will these companies stop popping up and growing at the rates they do.

[digitalhuman]

Thank you Tristan! This is extremely useful! I just wish I had the power to make this go viral!

[HorseOpenSlay]

Apparently, AI thought I would really like this speaker. And I do 😂 I've been watching for hours. All day in fact. Thanks AI. You're the best.

[katehillier]

They DO NOT base company activities on SERVING THE USER BUT CORPORATE DATA DRIVEN ADS. you would think listening to critics who see numerous problems would help their model.

[kamilah]

Research Trauma as the underlying factor of technology dysfunction.