(2022-03-17) Newton The Vibe Shift In Silicon Valley

Casey NewtonThe vibe shift in Silicon Valley Last month, Allison P. Davis wrote a widely read article in New York titled “A Vibe Shift Is Coming.” In it, she posited that the third year of our pandemic would reveal an obvious, and perhaps wrenching, evolution of the culture.

I’ve been working on how to apply it to my chosen field: tech journalism

attempting to work out which stories felt relevant in 2022 that may not have in, say, 2020. Today, I want to tell you what I’ve come up with.

Joe Biden doesn’t appear in Davis’ story, but on the subject of tech and tech policy, his presidency (and Trump’s social media exile) account for a significant portion of the vibe shift.

A few caveats before we get started. One, just because a storyline is starting to feel old doesn’t mean publications should stop covering it.

With that in mind, here’s a guide to what feels dated and what feels fresh in 2022.

Trump-era vibe: Facebook is the center.

Biden-era vibe: TikTok is the center.

Trump-era vibe: Information is spreading too quickly.

Biden-era vibe: Information is having trouble spreading at all.

the increasing fragmentation of the global web, through a combination of good-natured regulation (GDPR, let’s say) and despotic lunacy (Putin invading Ukraine)

Trump-era vibe: Fix the web.

Biden-era vibe: Replace the web.

using cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies

Trump-era vibe: Data is mind control.

Biden-era vibe: Data is a personal liability.

What to do about it: Op-ed pages should rally for encryption, and against data brokers.

Trump-era vibe: the United States as tech’s regulator-in-chief.

Biden-era vibe: Europe — and Apple — as tech’s regulators-in-chief.

Trump-era vibe: Tech is destroying our politics.

Biden-era vibe: Tech is hurting the children