Comment by spacemadness
1 year ago
It’s not really a “current economy” thing or anything to do with technological innovation itself. As someone mentioned elsewhere, our economic model of line must go up quarterly forever is the real thing to fix here. Does turning society into an illiterate mob make sense long-term? Most would say no. Does it make sense short-term? Unfortunately it makes a lot of sense as long as you can get out with your cash hoard before everything burns. Companies are simply acting towards what we have been incentivizing for decades now.
> you can get out with your cash hoard
cash is effectively claims against what other people can give you in the future.
An illiterate mob can only give you very few things of value. So, indeed, this is short-termism running society to the ground - as if there is no tomorrow.
This is why some of the rich are constructing elaborate bunkers just in case. So I guess there is some long-term strategizing after all.