I touched on that above in the bit about Peter Thiel. Google, Nasa, Facebook - they are all in the same game - US domination through technology. It all seems to be completely crazy and a colossal waste of money. Why did we put a man on the moon? It was a stupid idea.
How do you respond to criticisms of seeming to be elitist or a Luddite when you tell people your views on Facebook?
I confess to being a semi-Luddite, for the reason that technology always suits the ruling classes at the top who make a lot of money out of it. The Luddites in the 1820s correctly saw the new machinery as an attack on their craft of weaving: they were being reduced from artisans to machine-minders. The government at the time hanged 12 Luddites, including one twelve-year-old boy. If it makes me an elitist to be someone who at least attempts to think for themselves and not become a slave to the latest fad then so be it!
So you recommend that people commit 'Facebook suicide', delete their account and get back to good old face-to-face communication?
Yes! Overall, I think it´s important to put this whole thing in its historical context. The technology is part of the US desire to spread its ideas all over the world. It's the enlightenment project, and they think it's freedom. But as we are seeing now, it's a system that is based on a lot of hot air and fantasy, and we´re currently going through a reality check that worries many people. Peter Thiel, remember, is, or was, a hedge fund manager. Facebook is a successful common delusion and I think we should all unplug and go down to the pub instead!
Tom Hodgkinson's new book The Idle Parent is available now via the Idler's website.
