Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Why is the Techlash only getting stronger?

 

Every industry has a honeymoon phase, a window of opportunity for new technology before the disillusionment arrives. Leading tech companies enjoyed years of flattering media coverage and celebrated product launches. This tech optimism established the negative associations of tech criticism: in criticizing technology, you were speaking out against progress and innovation.

Many tech journalists expressed optimistic thoughts out loud and whispered dystopian remarks. Techlash reversed this formula. Since its emergence in 2017, the antagonism has reached new heights. The use of the phrase became so pervasive in the coming year that the word “Techlash” secured its place in the Oxford Dictionary as a runner-up “word of the year.” What factors formed this dramatic shift, how did the pandemic impact Techlash, and what can your brand do about it?

 

Techlash Roots 

 

The concept of Techlash, or “Tech-lash” as The Economist referred to it in 2013, is not new. However, according to research about the Techlash, it enjoyed a renaissance leading up to Donald Trump’s victory in November 2016. The tech platforms were blamed for enabling widespread misinformation and disinformation and not acting quickly enough to squelch it. In the post-election reckoning, tech journalists asked, “how did we get here?” and tech employees asked, “what role did we play?”

The nuanced answer is that it was the accumulation of various issues that ‘broke the camel’s back.’ Extremist online content, cyber-attacks, to the adoption of artificial intelligence raised the alarm about data privacy and fueled allegations of an anti-diversity culture of discrimination.

The refrain of tech companies’ response was typically the same—our intentions were to build something good, we know we need to do better, and we’re working on immediate actions to fix it. Those responses were backlashed by the media and governments. From China to the European Union, regulations are now being put in place to limit everything from artificial intelligence to Alibaba, citing real issues like personal privacy concerns and anticompetitive practices.

 

Why is the Techlash stronger now?

 

To begin, COVID-19. The pandemic shed light on the immense power companies wield. While tech companies enjoyed a bit of a reprieve from the Techlash in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, people generally feel that companies have gotten too powerful, too big, too rich, that by itself creates a backlash. During the endless lockdown, while most businesses were playing defense, Big Tech was able to play offense and become even stronger.

Second, major political events. Before the 2020 presidential elections’ results, journalists predicted that “If, when the dust clears, the tech firms are seen to have aided rather than prevented efforts to undermine the election, the blowback will far surpass anything that they endured in the wake of 2016.” The civil unrest in January was a seminal moment for this blowback. It was accompanied by two Congressional hearings over antitrust concerns (July 2020) and misinformation (March 2021), which contained harsh bipartisan accusations.

The third is the overall framing. If the tech companies are the villains, those who oppose them are the heroes. The negative associations of tech criticism were officially replaced with admiration.

 


Protocol AxiCom Techlash stronger Nirit Weiss-Blatt Katie Huang Shin Tod Freeman


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