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Is Technology Our Savior — or Our Slayer? | Ruha Benjamin | TED

When it comes to technology, we’re often presented with two contrasting visions of the future: one where technology fulfills all our desires, and another where it leads to chaos and conflict. Sociologist Ruha Benjamin is here with a more radical vision of the future — one where humanity isn’t saved or slayed by technology, but…

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When it comes to technology, we’re often presented with two contrasting visions of the future: one where technology fulfills all our desires, and another where it leads to chaos and conflict. Sociologist Ruha Benjamin is here with a more radical vision of the future — one where humanity isn’t saved or slayed by technology, but rather uses it to uplift ordinary people and make things like health care and housing for all a reality.

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40 Comments

40 Comments

  1. Dame Anvil

    November 7, 2023 at 7:12 am

    00:03 🌌 Futurists prioritize space travel and AI over healthcare and housing for all, reflecting a lopsided distribution of resources and power.
    01:05 🌐 Two contrasting visions of the future: Silicon Valley’s utopia with personalized tech-driven conveniences, and Hollywood’s dystopia with conflict and competition.
    03:08 🌍 “Ustopia” emphasizes collective imagination for a future where everyone thrives, addressing interconnected issues like climate and racial justice.
    05:06 🇪🇸 Barcelona’s participatory experiment “Decidim” empowers residents to shape policies based on their needs, highlighting the importance of collective intelligence over tech companies.
    08:04 🌆 Atlanta’s tech boom exacerbates inequality, but residents mobilize for ustopias prioritizing public goods and community safety over profit and policing.
    10:06 🛠 Grassroots movements in Atlanta challenge the militarizing imagination, advocating for ecological and social well-being in a shared vision.
    11:37 🌟 The speaker urges us to dismantle limiting narratives and envision a world without prisons, inclusive education, fulfilling work, and universal access to essentials.

  2. Joy Seeker

    November 7, 2023 at 7:25 am

    Dream life into reality! I will do my part to help us ❤️‍🩹

  3. Alexander Moody

    November 7, 2023 at 7:31 am

    It is refreshing to listen to an outlook has an optimistic direction .

  4. 🔴 LISA LIVE

    November 7, 2023 at 7:46 am

    This video is high quality and very educational, thank you!👍7

  5. Todd Hensley

    November 7, 2023 at 7:55 am

    The thing that’s going to slay us is people willing to kill over ethnicity and religion. We still act like a bunch of primitive primates.

  6. Mike van Hattum

    November 7, 2023 at 7:59 am

    Truth, if only we could spread this message better

  7. Brunno Kamei

    November 7, 2023 at 8:06 am

    Could solve more problems if the jerks of Silicon Valley weren’t too powerful.

  8. Dennis Tucker

    November 7, 2023 at 8:09 am

    The talk does not address how some rich and powerful people want to do harm to others. This is why technology will be the death of so many. I would estimate 3/4 of the world’s population will die as a direct result of technology.

  9. Alex S V

    November 7, 2023 at 8:25 am

    “Decidim” initiative in Barcelona started in 2016, that is not “almost 10 years”. That signals a potential bias where in the first sentence the presenter already shows this in a more than positive light. She’s also showing an image of a demonstration of Catalan separatists under the title “collective intelligence”, that is also skewed and rather controversial. Actually, the end result of that initiative is the city becoming a dumpster… I doubt this lady has ever been there. If anything, it is a landmark case study to learn how good ideas in paper yield bad results due to wrong execution by authorities more concerned with ideology and control than welfare.

  10. m kk

    November 7, 2023 at 8:59 am

    OMG!!! never seen anyone talk like this. flawless , beautiful and with such control. She is one of a kind👏

  11. John Sirois

    November 7, 2023 at 9:17 am

    Technology is no longer just a tool to make our lives better. It’s the other way around. Sorry.

  12. Saran Bhatia

    November 7, 2023 at 9:27 am

    Spot on … what a great discourse!

  13. Dullydude

    November 7, 2023 at 9:54 am

    Great sentiment but blaming technology for inequality is a bit too much of a generalization. There’s no reason technological progress and social progress can’t happen at the same time!

  14. Charli

    November 7, 2023 at 11:09 am

    打卡

  15. Raw Tee

    November 7, 2023 at 12:01 pm

    She’s so right.!!
    How about a little social
    Responsibility?
    Or should we all eat
    CAKE?!

    • M. C. M.

      November 8, 2023 at 7:09 am

      As long as there will be coffee with it..!

  16. Turnt0FF

    November 7, 2023 at 12:37 pm

    REIGN IN BLOOOOOOD!!

  17. GB NoMore

    November 7, 2023 at 12:52 pm

    Good speech. Good thoughts, info and ideas. I guess my big question is when is she going over to Iran via the least technological route to give the same speech that society along with some of the leaders of Hamas to help them see the need to affect change?

  18. Andy Cordy

    November 7, 2023 at 1:46 pm

    Superb presentation. Thank you.
    The Ustopia concept concept is wonderful. It’s the only way forward.

  19. Amit Chowdhury

    November 7, 2023 at 1:59 pm

    I believe in Ustopia

  20. Nauce_key_randomized

    November 7, 2023 at 2:05 pm

    😊

  21. Beakey

    November 8, 2023 at 6:28 am

    Beautifully idealistic, and I don’t necessarily disagree with any of it. But I hope people realize that it’s not Elon Musk’s personal responsibility to make sure that everybody gets three meals a day and has access to healthcare and proper schooling.

  22. Thmz

    November 8, 2023 at 7:02 am

    Both.

  23. Marc Volpe

    November 8, 2023 at 9:28 am

    RUHA YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL ADORABLE SEDUCTIVE RAVISHING CAPTIVATING AND PASSIONATE YOUR BEAUTY IS PHENOMENAL IF MICHELANGELO WERE ALIVE TODAY YOU WOULD BE HIS MUSE ❤

  24. Connie Letien

    November 8, 2023 at 9:52 am

    Your rhetoric sounds good until you realize the fact that prisons are there because of criminals and because they have to pay for their bad behavior and we actually do need police because there are criminals who would kill steal qnd destroy whatever they decided they wanted to without them so go ahead and imagine a world that’s utopian and make up words like ustopian and all that stuff to describe a place that does not exist and quite frankly you will never be able to make exist on planet Earth because of the fact that the criminal element will always be willing to take advantage of your pie in the sky dreams

  25. I A

    November 8, 2023 at 10:29 am

    Humans can only remain relevant if we augment and evolve ourselves through bio engineering

  26. tienganh yeulaitudau

    November 8, 2023 at 10:31 am

    Thank you for sharing useful knowledge. Wishing everyone who sees this comment good health, peace and happiness. Hope the channel grows more and more🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤

  27. jairscp

    November 8, 2023 at 12:20 pm

    Well….actually ustopia it’s a distopia….Sweet words with horrible results.

  28. Maria Antonietta Montella

    November 8, 2023 at 12:49 pm

    brava, avanti così

  29. Dustin Guinee

    November 8, 2023 at 3:57 pm

    As someone who has worked for tech companies for over 10 years I can honestly say they’re not here to make the world a better place, they’re here to make money. I like this idea of Ustopia and putting the focus, visioning and action back into the hands of the people in community rather than some multinational tech company that would rather replace humans with technology when the systemic issues we face as a society, largely are human issues we have to solve together.

  30. James Runco

    November 8, 2023 at 8:33 pm

    She needs to watch some Star Trek the Next Generation. She is basically describing that version of the future…Minus the Romulans! 😉

  31. Zed Games

    November 8, 2023 at 9:52 pm

    Bitcoin will save us from Co2 and methane emissions! Don’t buy any, I’m begging you… Just learn about it, it’s origins, and how bitcoin mining is offsetting carbon and methane emissions by using the normally polluted energy and turning it into warmth instead of pollution! Then decide for yourself…

  32. Khánh Mãi

    November 9, 2023 at 12:23 am

    Yes

  33. Ragini

    November 9, 2023 at 12:59 am

    This was so touching

  34. Naseersaeed Saeed

    November 9, 2023 at 1:39 am

    مفيش قناة مترجمه

  35. Zaillith

    November 9, 2023 at 4:52 am

    Well said

  36. Dharanidhar Soma

    November 9, 2023 at 10:50 am

    Excellent English fluency

  37. Xavier Munzon

    November 10, 2023 at 12:25 pm

    Says a lot. in the end means nothing just a dream with applause 👏

  38. Civil Savant

    November 11, 2023 at 12:54 pm

    Food, shelter, love?
    The privileged always leave out freedom. Nothing is meaningful without freedom. Revolution is always about freedom. Why do all the privileged ALWAYS discount the people’s need for freedom? Comfort and luxury is all their kind think about. They take it so for granted that they can’t even acknowledge it as a real thing. There is not a single one of those rich scum on humanity’s side. All of them are on a mission to only keep us pacified. DON’T BE THEIR FOOL.

  39. Andy Cordy

    November 13, 2023 at 4:05 pm

    I would like to suggest that something called “Progress tension” is holding humanity back.

    That is to say that the development of new technologies of ALL kinds threatens the environment in which we live. From the electrification of automobiles to the rebuilding of our grid systems and connecting all our new renewable energy resources to the feeding and housing of a population of 10 billion plus people.

    There is an unaffordable environmental cost whichever path we choose to the future. There are those who genuinly want the sacrifice of the environment to be minimised and there are those who pay lip service to that point of principle but will continue as before. That’s why there will inevitably be a train wreck even though we have known for fifty years what would happen.

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