Imagine this being said in any situation in social life. How would you think of this expression then?
Someone said they don't like something, say, sexual intercourse.
Now imagine someone says the above phrase to them.
An older lady, who is perfectly capable of living by herself, physically and cognitively. Now her kids do not want her to be alone, force her into a retirement home, and use that same sentence. How would you feel about that?
Say, someone is robbing you blatantly, cause he is physically more imposing and strong. And he says the same sentence. What would you think about it?
Now imagine giant companies using the same rhetoric, and even arming millions of people with it who want to lean into their agenda out of a lust for dominance and violence, for a piece of that "superiority cake". My question is:
Why does that not make us feel like it would be inappropriate to make such a statement? No matter who is making it?
"Computers did take over life, whether you liked it or not"
Fewer people rejected computers. So were there fewer people not welcoming the internet.
Were there justified criticisms? Of course, and those still hold valid today.
Ever since the invention and mass adaption of the internet, and of smart phones, very bad things happened in the world.
You do not believe me? Look at the state of education among western countries, for example, and how it degraded significantly ever since. And so has people's empathy.
Look at how through the now largely centralized internet and social media, propaganda was pushed so hard and so far, that half of one of the biggest countries in the world elected a convicted felon, a proven pedophile, twice. How someone who interferes with elections became a trillionaire, after he infiltrated governments, stealing citizen's data, likely passing it on to partner surveillance companies, and literally cut 'regular' people's life supports, with the result of millions of children dying. After doing all this not even in secrecy, but with a hitler salut, chainsaw swinging and foaming from the mouth on the world stage while announcing to do so, people still celebrate this person on the digital shrines of social media and the stock market. A self proclaimed messiah of free speech and expression, who interestingly sues people who are critical of him.
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Observe other western oligarchs buying and influencing public perception, the resulting dangerous rise of the far right and the increasing normalization of fascism, racism, mysogyny, transphobia and 'common sense eugenics' across the entire world, and then tell me again there is no negative, crucially indefensible consequence to welcoming imperialization through technology.
I would argue that said title phrase was not used this way when the internet was born and adapted. Why? Because I lived when it was. I lived in the 90ies and 2000s. I had my first computer when I was 5 years old (which also happened to be one of the very first personal computers, the C64). I have seen both, PC and internet adoption. The irrational boom around the internet may have been similar, but I can not recall people becoming straight up fascists about the internet back then when I was in my 20s.
Similarly, what did the smart phone actually achieve? Like, really. What was getting "better" and easier other than not having to remember phone numbers, to be able to more comfortably type, or instantly being able to reach anyone and anything at anytime? Rather, they have become addiction machines, causing a significantly large portion of younger people to feel depressed, lonely, aimless and empty. And who can blame them with a drug designed similar to heroin being inside their pockets at all times, legally (Why genz goes retro). I feel it eating away at my brain and soul myself when I fall into the doom scroll trap, or need to be on there due to game dev marketing reasons.
What about the app stores? What kind of revolution did the app stores actually lead to? What has changed, exactly? After the invention of phone apps? Since most people indifferent or defensive about technological imperialism like to call out so much that things do "change" all the time. Or is it rather an endless pit of cheap cash grab via advertisements or alleged life easing bogus apps and casual games vulturing off of children?
If I would tell you to adapt or die, that something is going to happen to you, if you like it or not, your first reaction would probably be appropriate: Reject me, cause I have no authority over you. Rightfully so. As we live in a civilized society (at least, on the surface, we have these systems well established, but they are crackling, again).
Things are looking different now with armies of people telling you to bow down to recent tech developments, which they all so claim are nothing but "inevitable". A 'large language' they happily repeat and which comes from the tech "lords'" mouth's themselves (who interestingly do not expose their loved ones and children to the same technology, like Steve Jobs did not give his children ipads, isn't that interesting about false prophetery?).
When masses of people are starting to talk like actual rapists, and tell you something is going to happen, "whether you like it or not", you are very right to feel alarmed about the current state of the world.
This log ends here, likely continues elsewhere, if you like.
"Throw at him all that we have, for he will lead us into the promised lands. Let our people be sacrificed, our children starve, for the greater good, which is spreading our human sperm into the stars. Hail Shitler."