TNW Weekly: We are both dumb

Every week we send out a weekly update with some of the best stories of the week, a few apps we like and the ‘Red faces of the week’.

Sign up now to get it delivered to your inbox every week. Here’s my introduction text for last weeks issue:

We are both dumb

Don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying I’m smart and other people are stupid. I’m saying I’m stupid, you’re stupid, we’re all stupid. We know a little bit about a little bit. And it’s damn hard to make decisions on something that may or may not affect us ten years from now.

That’s why referenda suck.
We, the people, make a decision based on a hunch. On our gut feeling. We vote ‘yes’ because a guy we think looks trustworthy said that was the right thing to do. Or because your neighbor told you it would save you money. Or because your best friend read a great article. In other words: You have no idea what to vote or think.

The 💜 of EU tech

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That’s what politicians are for: To take responsibility, have the experts look into it, and make an educated decision. And when it’s the wrong decision, they get punished because we can simply vote for the other guy.
With a referendum, nobody takes responsibility; there’s no one to hold accountable. Just a large and anonymous group.

Now, you might think “Why the hell is he talking about politics and Brexit in a technology-focused newsletter?” Well, Brexit has an impact on all of us. And also on technology.

Almost every successful internet company you can name is doing business globally. I know tech entrepreneurs who are now unsure about the future and whether they’ll be able to stay in London. I’ve also met with startups who have canceled their plans to expand their business to the UK.

Moments like this, I wish that technology could have a more positive effect on people’s opinions and politics. Unfortunately it wasn’t until after the referendum that people massively started Googling ‘What is the EU’.

As smart as technology gets, you just can’t keep up with that much stupidity.

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