Ex-Facebook, Google employees launch anti-tech campaign
A group of tech pioneers who were some of the first employees at Silicon Valley giants Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) and Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) have now come together to form a coalition against the very thing they built—a tech driven society.
The organization called The Center for Humane Technology was announced Sunday, in an attempt to reverse “the digital attention crisis” among Americans and “realign technology with humanity’s best interests.”
“We have built a world-class team of deeply concerned former tech insiders and CEOs who intimately understand the culture, business incentives, design techniques, and organizational structures driving how technology hijacks our minds,” the organization said.
The group also said it’s starting a campaign called The Truth About Tech, which is funded in part by a $7 million donation by the non-profit media watchdog group Common Sense Media.
Major media corporations such as Comcast and DirecTV have also stepped up to help by donating upwards of $50 million in free media and airtime to help the organization spread its message about the negative side effects, The New York Times reported.
Experts said they are especially worried about the effects social media and other apps will have on children.
“The race to keep children’s attention trains them to replace their self-worth with likes, encourages comparison with others, and creates the constant illusion of missing out,” the organization wrote on its website.
As for adults, the increased use of technology has amplified their stress and anxiety levels, even causing some to lose sleep.
The Truth About Tech campaign, which will be similar to anti-smoking crusades, will first focus on reaching students in 55,000 public school across the country, according to The New York Times.
Additionally, lobbying will also play a huge role in the group’s efforts. The Times said organizers will focus their attention on two upcoming pieces of legislation from Massachusetts and California that could potentially fund research on the impact that technology has had on children’s health.