HACKER Q&A
📣 asim

Trusting Software


As I get older I see a lot of new software and services being produced. This isn't news and it's not unique, we're all experiencing that. What's interesting to me now though is my lack of willingness to adopt these new services that store my data or manage my communication. As the internet grew I loved trying new services but now as the essentials are accounted for I don't feel that same desire to adopt new technology. If anything I'm trying to pair it down to bare essential utilities. I was curious to know if anyone else saw the same behaviour in themselves?

What's more, I'm leaning towards owning my own services and trying to understand how that would work in reality. Home ownership is standard and we rarely build our own homes now. Just wondering if that'll happen for essential services like email, chat, storage, etc.


  👤 gorjusborg Accepted Answer ✓
My initial reaction to new technology these days is skepticism. From the start, I'm looking for the catch, the 'gotcha' that will be my undoing.

I attribute this change from trust to skepticism to a changing of demographics on the internet. Back when I was more trusting, the internet was different.

Early internet felt more like idealist hobbyists sharing their creations with others The demographics now seem to be more representative of the population as a whole. There have always been more scammers in the world than dreamers/tinkerers, it's just that there was a window where that wasn't true of those sharing on the internet.

As the demographics changed, the average behavior did too. At least, that's how I rationalize it. I'm sure we'll have another golden age in another form in the future!


👤 labarilem
Can't say I'm old, but as anyone else I'm getting older.

Yes I've been seeing this behaviour in myself lately. Not something new for me, but now it has a stronger feeling. Could it be due to the general increasing distrust in big companies and nation states? Maybe. It's hard these days for a technical savy person to trust big and loosely regulated organizations.


👤 walterbell
Similar thread, https://twitter.com/acczibit/status/1580308518724591616

> nobody trusts tech to be benign or a voluntary enhancement to one's life anymore ... It's like watching someone tinkering on a torture device you know you'll eventually be forced/coerced into wearing. Nobody cares what epic new tech breakthroughs come with it.


👤 brudgers
Yes.

I find myself more and more at the two extreme ends.

Either it streams or it is physical.

The skeuomorphic middle is mostly more pain than gain.