I’ve been working on a rebrand since completing my master’s degree last year. For a while I’ve been thinking about making a switch from social media to ethical tech consultancy. I’m far from the first to set up in this space. There are many other organisations already doing brilliant work. I hope to be able to join them.
Over the next few weeks you’ll see some changes to this website, along with a new company name, design and colour palette. My newsletter will have a rebrand too. I wanted a name that would stand out from the crowd but still relate strongly to what I believe in. So – why Sticks & Stones? It’s a down to earth, non-tech name that roots us in our humanity. It reminds us who we are, while hinting at the need to build a strong foundation for the future.
When I started out writing digital comms strategies and creating content 15 years ago, it felt fresh, fun and exciting. It was hard to predict back then that the world’s most powerful men would come to own their personal social networks, misinformation and disinformation would be rife, fuelling instability and that democracy itself would be under threat.
Now, with our media increasingly dominated by platform algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI), how do we protect ourselves from the most harmful potential outcomes of new, emerging technologies? How do we harness the best and mitigate the worst?
I believe a good ethical tech consultancy needs to focus on three things: Impact, Materiality and Mindset.
Here’s a bit more on my thinking:
Preview: new branding by Jory & Co – we’re experimenting with copy and images
(1) Impact
We all know the old adage “Sticks and stones may break my bones but names can never hurt me”. It was long thought that name calling and abuse could be simply shrugged off and ignored. But research studies and real world examples have shown that digital bullying, trolling and intimidation affect us in real, physical and tangible ways.
In his book, The Science of Hate, former police chief Matthew Williams narrates how prejudices shared online manifest in real world hate crimes. (Warning: you may find some of the following linked content upsetting) Meanwhile tragic cases such as that of Molly Russell or Jordan DeMay show how digital communications can construct a world of horror from which it physically feels like there is no escape. Social media content has been cited as a factor in the murders of Brianna Ghey and Olly Stephens. Which is why many parents are calling for a complete ban on social media and smartphones in schools.
Unfortunately the business models underpinning most social platforms prioritise engagement which means that shocking or disturbing content is prioritised and amplified. This leads not only to individual incidents but is now having a proven impact on geo-politics. Riots, genocides and democratic processes have all been influenced by social media content, as whistleblowers such as Frances Haugen and Sarah Wynn-Williams have shown. And the situation is worsening as digital technology scales and works its way into almost every aspect of modern life, now augmented by AI. Deepfakes, conspiracy theories and misinformation are all eating away at long-established beliefs and truths, blurring reality and interfering with democratic processes.
(2) Materiality
The concept of the internet cloud is one we’re all familiar with – it helps us think of digital things as airy, weightless and environmentally friendly. But the “cloud” is a misnomer. From huge cooling servers built inside the arctic circle to fibre-optic cables running along the ocean floor to the megawatts of electricity required to power AI processing and blockchain transactions, the digital IS material.
And it’s not just the physical materials that make up the internet and its functions. Through the legal challenges of Facebook content moderators in Kenya and Amazon warehouse workers in the US, we can see how cheap human labour is key to digital infrastructures. These people are carrying out what the anthropologist Mary L Gray and computer scientist Siddharth Suri have termed ghost work. While Silicon Valley executives routinely earn six figure salaries (with top AI talent currently offered nine), the lesser known tech workers have few employment rights and are often paid less than the minimum wage.
Meanwhile, social media platforms profit from everyone’s immaterial labour – a term coined by Italian philosopher Maurizio Lazzarato to describe the cognitive work that goes into creating and sharing social content. This digital content creates data which feeds the advertisers and algorithms. You could also add to this the combined labour of creative industry professionals such as artists, journalists, musicians and writers. From the writers’ strikes in LA in 2023 to this year’s protests from journalists at the Guardian – newly partnered with OpenAI), creatives are rightly concerned about AI harvesting their work for profit, with no acknowledgement, let alone remuneration.
Preview: the new website design will incorporate these icons
(3) Mindset
In 2009 I published a book championing social media and celebrating social technologies as a liberating tool to connect us all. But since then, we’ve witnessed the trajectory of social media from a beacon of hope to a problematic symbol of the worst of humanity. Along with many from that era – Carole Cadwalladr, Tristan Harris, Frances Haugen and Sarah Wynn-Williams, to name just a handful – I’m no longer a tech-utopian. I don’t believe that technology will “save” us. But neither am I a complete tech cynic. I don’t want to live off-grid or kill innovation through regulation. But I do believe we need to tread carefully, and be aware of the pitfalls. We have created this world we live in (a point articulated again and again by the excellent Meredith Whittaker at this year’s SXSW). We must now strive to build a better world – from the ground up.
So, my new ethical tech consultancy is all about building solid foundations for an ethical, inclusive approach to technology. Sticks and stones help remind us of what it is to feel, to embody and to be real. They are useful visual building blocks, materials which humans have used as tools since the beginning of time. While we can aspire to harness the very best of digital technology, we must also remain grounded. We must not forget our roots or be distracted by pie–in-the-sky promises (especially from self-interested billionaires). We need to stay mindful of where we’ve come from, and remember what it means to be human.
Please look out for the revamped website and take a look at my new services page. And do get in touch if anything about this topic resonates with you and the work you’re doing. Maybe we could collaborate?
Photo by Wender Junior Souza Vieira on Unsplash
