Jeff Jarvis, a US media pundit and associate professor at City University of New York, discusses the dangers of overregulation online and the importance of community on the internet. He proposes demoting the geeks who control it to make it more accessible to everyone, highlighting the need for meaningful conversations about AI safety issues.
Jeff Jarvis: A Vision for Reclaiming the Internet
Interview with Killian Fox
Jeff Jarvis is a US media pundit who has been blogging at Buzzmachine.com since 2001. He is also an associate professor at City University of New York’s graduate school of journalism, where he directed the new media programme before retiring last year.
The Dangers of Overregulation Online
Jarvis believes that overregulation online can be just as damaging as underregulation. He argues that the internet has enabled communities to come together in a way they could not gather because they were not heard in mass media, but also gives a megaphone to our worst instincts and voices.
The Importance of Community
Jarvis highlights the importance of community on the internet, citing examples of Black Twitter and other online communities that have enabled marginalized groups to come together and be heard. He argues that these communities are not just a reflection of existing social structures, but can also create new ones.
Surveillance Capitalism
Jarvis objects to Shoshana Zuboff’s use of the term “surveillance” in her criticism of surveillance capitalism. He believes that this term trivialises the real power dynamics at play when governments surveil populaces with the backing of law and force.
Jarvis’ Vision for Reclaiming the Internet
Demoting the Geeks
Jarvis’ vision for reclaiming the internet involves demoting the geeks who control it and making it more accessible to everyone. He believes that this can be achieved by getting rid of the technologists who currently run the show and allowing people to tell machines what they want them to do.
The Role of AI
Jarvis is more frightened of the tech bros than he is of AI itself. He believes that the problem lies in how the language around AI has been corrupted, making it difficult to have a meaningful conversation about safety issues such as bias, fraud, and the environment.
Reclaiming the Internet
One of Jarvis’s solutions for creating a better internet is to demote the geeks. This might seem counterintuitive, but he believes that looking back at history can provide insight into how this might become less difficult.
The Power of Social Media
Jarvis acknowledges that social media gives a megaphone to our worst instincts and voices, but it also enables communities who were not there before to come together. He highlights the importance of learning from scholars like André Brock Jr, Charlton McIlwain, and Meredith Clark, who have studied Black Twitter.
Jarvis objects to Shoshana Zuboff’s use of the term “surveillance” in the context of advertising cookies. He believes that this trivializes surveillance by governments with real power behind them.
