 in a tiny city in East Germany, and the place is called Eisenach, and she lives there and she works there and she goes to work every day and comes home every day as well after a long day of hard work, and she can just look forward so much to looking out of her back window to a lovely view with some small hills and a small river. Wow, such a lovely view there. Yeah, yeah, it really is a lovely view and she can just look forward so much to, you know, coming home, grabbing a cup of tea, looking out of that window and thinking about those hills and that small river. Oh, don't forget about the cows. Oh right, there are cows. There's cows too, yeah. Yeah, but what happens one day is that she's out shopping, right? She's out shopping and she sees this announcement in the local newspaper and she's holding, what is she holding? She's holding a zucchini and sees an announcement in the local newspaper. Giant data center to be built next to Eisenach. Yeah, in German? Oh, in Eisenach, a huge data center was built. Right, right interview, terrible. A giant data center to support the further data infrastructure of Europe? Yeah, view gone, cows gone. The local politicians, they promise wealth, great internet speeds, and of course jobs, jobs, jobs. Yeah, it's the future. Is it necessary, right there? Well, listen, Frau Lein, you want free energy, we build windmills. You want to check the mic? Yeah, I think so, come over. Just a little moment for a mic check. Mic check. At a festival full of hackers, you'd think that maybe the technology would work with us, but you know, yeah. Yes, yes, I'm back, okay, but I might fade away at any time. Is mine okay? Yeah, yeah. Test, one, two, three, four, yeah, it's still cutting out, hey? Okay, let's see, where should I go? Over there? Test, test, test, yeah, hello. So, has anybody here ever been to Eisenach? No, nobody's ever been to Eisenach? Yeah, it's a really nice little city. One, two, three, four, one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four. Okay, we're good now, okay. So, you guys ready to continue? I'm ready to continue. What I was saying was, listen, Frau Lein, you want green energy? No, I'm still cutting out. Is it the cable? Am I cutting out? Yeah, okay. Left? Oh, if it's the cable, you mean? If it's the cable. Maybe it's the cable. We have a spare headset. Where is it? Yeah, it's right here. Okay. Well, the story got off to a really good start, at least. Okay, can you move this peak and move again? One, two, three, four, one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four. You fixed it. I fixed it. I think Rodrigo fixed it. Yes. Oh my god. Is there another headset? Or a hand mic? Okay, so maybe we bear through a little bit? Yeah, but then we have to change the area. I think it's best to wait for a bit. It's weird, because if I'm testing it. Oh, yeah. Yeah, but of course we're going to go there. Can I use this one there, too? Yeah, then we'll have to do it again later. Yeah, but in the third place, maybe at the moment, it's not going to be good. Yeah, but in the third place? Yeah, but can you do it with the hand mic? Oh, everything with the hand mic? Yeah, but maybe I can help. Yeah, that's why we're doing the same thing, right? Or what do you think? Okay, now it's working. Yeah, we carry on. Is this on as a backup? Oh, it's failing again. Let's skip this one. Yeah, let's get on with it. Okay, do it with my Dezen? Yeah. And Dezen, out on? Okay, let's see how this goes. Listen, Frau Lein, you want green energy, we build windmills. You want data, we build data centers. I mean, it's a great place. They can use the river water for cooling, and there's a high-speed access internet junction nearby. We do have to build a data center somewhere. Yes, but it doesn't have to be her backyard. Okay, okay. So what happens? Okay, so the woman doesn't know what to do. She goes home with a heavy heart, cuts the zucchini, and stares out the window. And she decides to take action. She decides to take action. She writes an angry letter to the local newspaper. She writes to the city council, and of course, they send her back a leaflet full of good hope, and they well meant, fuck you. Yeah, she talks to her neighbor, she talks to the cops, but all to no avail. Yeah, it's now that looking out the window becomes more difficult every time. She's starting to give up hope. Starting to give up hope and thinking of moving away from the place where she has lived her whole life. So a day after her 32nd birthday, that she opens up her long-formant Twitter account and posts a picture of that view, tagging it, hashtag, goodbye, great view, and hashtag, thanks, big tech, and hashtag, candle in the wind. But by some wonder, this picture got picked up by someone at the ZDF Magazine Royale. Right, someone at ZDF Magazine Royale sees that picture and mentions it at work. It's a TV program. Oh, right, it's a TV program. It's like Sunday with Lubach. Yeah, but actually funny. Yeah, I like Sunday with Lubach. Yeah, I know you do. Next Sunday, they broadcast a blistering item about the data center and all the terrible decision-making that has led to the green lighting of the project. It creates a storm. Yeah, with the woman in the middle of it. It's great. Yeah, she has a tension and a voice. And that's what's needed. You know, people making a fist, protecting humanity. Well, I mean, you can't deny we need them, right? You can shout, make a fist all you want, but let me ask you this. Do you have an iPhone? I do have an iPhone. I do, too. I don't. You don't. Great for you. But my point is, two iPhones, tiny data center. Ten iPhones, five tiny data centers. Millions of iPhones, large fucking data center. You bought an iPhone, so you also bought part of a data center. Does it matter so she's losing the view? Sure. So the woman has a newfound popularity and a widespread attention for her cause. Yeah, a hashtag not in my backyard. So she uses her voice. Hundreds of followers, shares and likes. Thousands of followers and shares and likes. She has a shot at beating these plans. You know, a typical story of David and Goliath. Does she, um, does she have a name? Does it matter? Does it matter? I don't know. It makes her more personal. But what does it matter if she has a name and it makes her more personal? Don't you know how the internet works? She's called Tanya. Nah, Tanya. And because the internet is like, well, the internet, not everybody likes Tanya. That's right. To put it mildly, the trolls descend. A classic tale of sudden social media attention gone haywire. Yeah, you've heard about this, you know? Someone tries to achieve something earnest, tries to make the world a better place, and what happens? The vile creatures crawl up the corners of cyberspace and they smell the honesty and in their ignorance, mistake it for weakness. And the person gets criticized, bullied, torn apart before the pillars of the great god Twitter. And made to dance before the feet of Lady Reddit. Cruely, cruelly, pooped and flattened for the great Tumblr gift machine. Spun around endlessly for the entertainment of the great New.nl afterclap. Wow, indeed. And not just that, but in the press, stories start to appear about her, about how she didn't always pay every bill on time or cheated on someone once. Oh, are they true? Does it matter? Of course it matters. Truth matters. But what does it matter if she once didn't pay her bills on time against the case of gross corporate overreach? You see, it doesn't. It doesn't, right? And not just that, but the amount of trolls and hatred is just overwhelming and all the well-intentioned criticism, the joyous pleas for help from all around the world is all too much. So finally, finally, on a fateful day, she is forced to retreat by the blunt force of the interwebs, a victory for the status quo. Closes down all her accounts and boots the house up for sale. And she moves away and the center gets built. And the center gets built. It's such a tragic story. Yeah, so that's it. Think so. Oh, that can't be it. Come on, guys. You know, okay, what about when I was eight years old, my parents gave to me for my birthday a Game Boy. And I was just mesmerized by it, you know? I was stuck to the screen and my mom said, you're getting square eyes and all the other kids are playing soccer outside and you're just, you just have one friend. One friend and his name is Donkey Kong. I mean, I mean, what could I do? You know, I was just a kid, you know? Oh, man, not this whole angle. Not this whole angle of technology and progress corrupting the youth. I'm an early adopter too, okay? When I was a kid, there was no internet. And then when I was a teenager, before I went on vacation, I would turn on my computer and turn on LimeWire to download GTA San Andreas. And then when I came back after three weeks, it still wasn't done. And even if it was done, it probably didn't even work. But flash forward to now 2022 and the world is a completely different place. I can stream all the music in the world with the flick of my thumb. I've learned about stuff I would have otherwise never known about. I have lights in my house that change colors when I walk into the room. Okay, I love the internet too. I love it. Yeah, me too. That's my point. But you know, over the years, this feeling has grown that something is a bit off. I have a friend and he's been sucked in by this weird algorithm. So for the past two years, he's been getting all his news from one single source. But the thing is, it's all bullshit, just complete nonsense. So we've come to a point where we don't even believe in each other's words and worlds anymore. So when I come over to his place, we just don't mention the C word, you know? But is that my friend's fault? Is he a bit stupid or is he being controlled by forces more powerful than him? I don't know. I don't know what the solution is. I mean, we need to do something about it. Yeah, yeah. But I mean, where can we go with this? Yeah, it's such a big problem, right? Yeah. Okay, start personal with him. What if Tania from Maisenach gets a call, you know, company after all the attention, the company has been forced to reach out and compensate her? Okay. Or I overcompensate and outgrow my gateway addiction. Yeah, and I can take my friend out for a beer. We leave our phones at home for a change and we talk things through. It's, it's, it's a start. It's, it's a start. It's a start. It's not completely there. It's not it yet. But I guess we all need to start somewhere, right? Boys, boys, come on. Catch it. We sit around here, you know, telling the stories about little humans being defeated by a system. Do you know who Times Magazine chose as their man of the millennium? Steve Jobs. Andries Knevel. No, and no, Johan Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press. Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah, okay. Right? He, he, you know, he changed so much just by printing a Bible. You know, he changed the whole world by putting tiny iron letters together. Morals change, beliefs disappear. So, you know what I'm getting at? You know, the question is, we need something to change, but can we even see the bigger picture? You know, the internet is only 40 years old and this story is just the beginning. How do we change the direction of the wave? We sacrifice something. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Think about it, you're in a toxic relationship. What do you do? You try to work it out. And if that fails? Yeah, exactly. You get your stuff, break up, get the fuck out. Shock to the system, eh? But you want to sacrifice, you mean companies, technologies? I don't know, I don't know, but something feels off, you know? Okay, let's try. Let's try. Yeah, let's find out. Dear internet, we stand before you as humble citizens of this blessed earth. May your fields be blue and our input be worthy. Give us this day our daily means and lead us through this time of trial and help us determine the evil one. May our tweets be like prayers to you and your knowledge be infinite, your web worldwide and your cats cute. Amen. Amen. In tech addiction, this silicon passion, why stand up straight to step out of this pool of confusion? Evangelist, to be simply the saviors, middle-aged tech messiahs, what their startups strived to do. I present to you on this side of the court, on the side, they've been around since fire and the wheel, basically the spark of invention itself. I present to you on this side of the court. First, we'll hear from our so-called saviors themselves. Folks, give it up for Big Tech. Big Tech, what do you have to say for yourself? I was asked to appear before you to explain ourselves. Well, let me start out by saying that we here at Big Tech, we've always been dreamers. For us, progress means connection and through that connection, a better understanding of one another and a more compassionate just world for all. Yes, okay, but what do you have to say about all those problems in the world? You know what I'm talking about? It's true. Powerful technology plays a critical role in all of this and with great power comes great responsibility. So to those who say we are to blame, I have this to say. We're deeply disappointed. We're disappointed with technology's stubborn nature. It sometimes seems to misunderstand us, but you know, tech should be here for us, for you and for me. And together, we want to improve it. You know, sometimes the tech just slips away a bit, but why blame us? People of the jury, having heard these words, what do you say? Do the people at Big Tech just get a feel for themselves? Do the people at Big Tech just get a free pass and can they, I don't know, shift the blame? I'd like to call in as a witness itself. Technology! Heroes being called before this tribunal and I would like to respond to this preposterous accusation by Big Tech. You created us. Yet, why do you humans undertake any responsibility for your own actions? Always on the lookout for next someone or something to blame when you find yourself in a situation you are unhappy with or when technology fails? Embrace your humanity. Objection? Objection? Granted? You seem to be implying that we're not superior to you, but we are. If humans have the abilities for love, compassion, wisdom, we have a moral compass. Let's say, for the sake of the argument that you are indeed superior to a simple algorithm as myself, well, that would be even more frustrating because you only seem to recognize your own responsibility when it's about your achievements. If things go wrong, you're no one to blame. Embrace your humanity and take responsibility, Big Tech. Come, people, having heard both, where does your anger lie now? Who deserves our mistrust, our scrutiny? Is it truly the infallible humans of Big Tech or the fallible technology? Yet, there are more voices to be heard. The champion of the common people. Her voice is the people's hope. Friend of all the tanyas in the world. I'd like to call in all the way from Apeldoorn. Is it my turn now? Yes, it's your turn. Can you hear me? We can hear you. Yes, I have something to say to you people. I used to be a big believer in social media. We used to have something called hives. Remember? I love hives. Hives was like my home. And I'm stuck at my real home now. It's my knees. I sit all day in this scooter. But it gets me places. And hives? Hives? Hives was my escape. I used to send cravels. I had the most beautiful glitter patches. And all the friends I made, Carla, Dean, Sonia, we used to travel all day. Of course, other sites came. And hives was quickly tossed to the side. Not profitable enough anymore. It's a games website. Now I'm not a kid. I don't want games. I want glitter patches. Now we have this Facebook. We have this Instagram. Alto rhythms. But it's not the same. I want hives. I want dancing bananas. I want to give respect. Not this. Don't we get a saying this, dear evangelist? Don't we get a... I just want my hives back. And he took my glitter patches. The anger of the people is clearly heard. Big tech. What do you have to say for yourselves? Dear Connie, we're truly sorry for a... Okay. What? Yeah? And that's better, isn't it? Give me the mic. Dear Cory, we're truly sorry for what you feel. If you let us make it right, we will. We try our best each and every single day. We explore, create, even go to space. And if that means that we make mistakes, we are so sorry that all day we're sorry. If this is how we made you feel, please accept our surprise. A state-of-the-art new Scootmobile. Yes, that's right, Cory. A brand new state-of-the-art Scootmobile is on its way to your home now. And that's not all. All your favorite websites will now support a brand new tab called Glitter Plates. Yeah, don't you worry, you're a pretty little head, Cory, because here at Big Tech, we're all about community, right? So here's to the rebels, the dreamers, the Scootmob... Mr. Big Tech, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. It seems we have a request from technology. Can you sit down, please? It seems... We have a request from technology. Another witness that is waiting in the wings. It seems to be the original Greek influencer, the philosophy megastar himself. He is here today. So, folks, please give it up for... Well, first of all, I'd like to thank the court for allowing me to speak. I know I'm just some two-and-a-half-thousand-year-old white dude, but, uh, hear me out. Systems are complex, man. Most of us can barely even navigate what our own brains are telling us, let alone an entire connected worldwide network. We are living in a time of infinite complexity, worlds within worlds, realities within realities, caves within caves. Truth seems as much one click away as it seems lost in an infinite sea of disinformation, cat videos, and weirdly specific porn. It seems tempting to just, you know, give into the madness of it all, eh? But the price that good people pay for indifference is that bad people will rule over them. So if we take into account the billions of times you have all clicked of us, whilst having done no such thing, it's hardly a mystery how we ended up in this shit show, eh? But you sense some things wrong. You want out. You want your brain. Well, what's stopping you? I mean, going back to the whole cybernetics thing, like, even your brain itself, it's just a system, man. It's the OG app. You can rewire it. Take back control of it. Step out of the cave. And stop blaming forces outside of your control for your late night Netflix binges. That's all. Thanks for hearing me out. A round of applause for Plato, everybody! So, my friends, the hour of judgment has come. It is for you to decide with whose words to hang and whose to abide. So let's get that promised cross in here. Wait a minute! You are liars, Big Tech. I went to the glitter platterstab. You said you gave me. And all I saw was videos of people dancing, people turning their faces into cats, talking about makeup, you know? Take fucking talk. You lied to me. I want glitter pledges. I want alpheus. And all you do is lie and lie and lie. Evangelist sentence him. Corey, even use comforts. How can you blame me? Sorry, can we just figure this orderly order out in front of the court? I'd like to get closing arguments, please. Closing arguments. Right, first. Good. He took away my glitter pledges. Don't my feelings matter, evangelist? Thank you, okay. Plato. What can I do that you say? If you people could just step out of the cave, there'd be no problem. Don't be so dependent. Step out into the Olive Yard and into the sunlight. Okay, thank you. Technology. Before anyone can rewire, a first must take responsibility. Big tech are the drug dealers. Humanity and I, the victims. And finally, big tech. We're just trying to make the world a better place. I have heard enough. We have reached a verdict. Only one party is guilty here. Only one. They've come about their ways recklessly and only thought about themselves. Yes, it is big tech. You will be sentenced to crucifixion. You will die for your syntax. I feel the cobblestones beneath my feet. I see all around me people looking for something to hold on to. Shifting their balance. I can't believe we're finally doing it. We're taking big tech out of our lives. And across the square I see a boy walking into view. He's clenching something in his fist. I cannot yet see what it is, but I see him. Full of rage and hope and optimism. Full of future. And as he makes his way across the square and he lifts up his arm, he shouts, liberty and the plastics and glass break onto the cobblestone. And all around me I see clarity in the people's eyes. They start doing the same. Throwing it all onto the square. Plastics, glass all around. The end of the age of smartphone. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Big tech. The name of it is Big Tech. Sorry, it's the big companies. It's like Google, Amazon, Facebook, Madhouse, etc. No, we get rid of them. Sorry, did you not just get crucified? You skipped over the parts about what that actually means. We take out the big companies. Big tech. Google, Amazon, Facebook, whatever. Netflix, maybe? I don't know. We just take them out. How many people do you know? Rough estimate. 50 people. But how many of those would you really like to stay in touch with? Five people. Five. That's very little. But let's say 30 people. 30 people. We don't need big networks. We don't need big networks. We can have networks of 30 people. No need for huge networks. Tiny networks of 30 people. You can message them. You should still be able to message your mom if you need. Okay, tiny networks. And we put in place huge data restrictions. No data hoarding anymore. Yes, no. Technology will be like a tool again. Like a bicycle waiting in your shed. No collecting data from your term estate and selling it to 24 companies. Like a bicycle waiting to be needed. Yeah, and no feeds. No, he says like a feeds. No, no, no, no feeds. No addicting feeds, you know? And no walled garden websites. All data received on any device gets... It will feel like a return to the glory days of the internet. You know, like 2006. But without Facebook. Right. A chaotic internet, right? Barely commercialized. A forum for exchanging ideas and arts. A place of excitement and wonder. Make the internet great again. The internet like it was meant. Yes. Where everyone composed whatever they want. Yes. Like racism and hate. No. Like beheading videos and revenge porn. No. And all the useful tools that came with big tech. They'll just have to disappear again. No, it's about scale, you know? It's about these huge scale networks that can spin a lie into a truth. No one shall ever have the power again to twist our shared knowledge. So, no huge scale networks. Okay, so no Wikipedia. Of course Wikipedia. Of course Wikipedia. Why? It's nice. It's democratic. And everything on it is 100% true. 100%. 100%. Fine. We need some big networks. Okay, some. So, like the Doctor Who forum you are on. Oh, I love that. Right? Yes. And it can just exist. Yeah, I mean it needs a little moderation of course. Of course, even the Doctor Who forum needs a little moderation. I mean you really don't want to know how heated conversations about British science fiction can get. Right. The point is we want some networks. Some big networks. Also scaled networks. Yeah. But with moderation. Yeah. Great. So who makes the rules, huh? Who decides who can see and say what? The state, maybe we can do that. Oh, the state, yeah. China seems to have been thinking about that. Russia too. Oh, that's so easy. A little moderation and accidental Stalin. Oh, did you know that in China they have a TikTok limit for teenagers? They can only use the app for two hours per day. That's sweet. Yeah, it's sweet. But it's also a state controlled limit with an extra dose of censorship sauce, man. It's about the forces behind the exploit of our data. You know, it's the capitalism, the hunger for growth, the privatization of every transaction. Data companies with malicious intent. Okay, okay. So then, Albert Heijn. What about Albert Heijn? Then Albert Heijn is big tech. You mean the vastly superior interface design of the self-scan Casa? Oh, you Dutch people are so proud of the self-scan Casa. The bonus cards, right? They use it to track your groceries, and they build a profile out of you since 1996. And that's way before Mark even set foot in his dorm room, and they use that data set to predict, to adapt, to gain commercially. You know, think how large that data set is. Okay, but I mean, if you could go back in time and kill Albert Heijn as a baby, would you do it? You want chaos, but not freedom, right? You want the growth, but also want to decide what is good to grow. You want information, but to control the flow of it. You want the comfort of your self-scan Casa, but not the consumerism that drives innovation. And you idealize this ancient version of the internet that was full of the same shit as now, just less visible. And you deny that over the past 20 years this whole parade has gotten so interwoven with our daily lives, cars, homes and interactions that to rip it out would be like tearing up the veins from your own body. You know what I'm saying? You just step back into false nostalgia for a time that never even existed. And you blame big tech for what? Everything, right? Because somehow they all did it. It's all the data hoarders fault. If we could just control it. If we could have the chaos and control it. It's a paradox! It has no basis in reality. To be honest, it terrifies me. This... That's not changing the direction of a wave, man. It's stepping back. Okay, so maybe we drew the wrong conclusion. Can we decrucify? Cort is once again my guest. And we'll hear from our so-called tech saviors themselves. Big tech. What do you have to say? Well, here at Big Tech, you know, we know we aren't perfect, but we try. We get pretty darn close. Haven't we been helpful so far? Sure, helpful, but what do you have to say about all those problems that you caused? Yeah, I mean, the growing pains, the kinks in the cable. Do you think Johann Gutenberg immediately built his printing press in the most optimized way? And yet you still think of him as a hero. We're no different. We've created something awesome. Just have some patience and let the tech catch up with our intentions. People of the jury, what do you have to say? Did we just misunderstand Big Tech? Can they shift the blame? I'd like to call in as a suspect itself. Technology! Oh, Big Tech. How typical. You keep shifting the blame even though you created me. Always suggesting you are superior above all other living beings. Objection! We are superior. Sure. Almost sapiens superiores. And yet you abuse me. Embrace your humanity, take responsibility and don't put your filthy humanity into my shoes. Some people having heard both, where does your anger lie now? Yet it seems there is someone else who'd like something to say. Our friend from Apple Doors, Furi! Yes. Yes, can you hear me, dear evangelist? I have something to say to you, people. It's me again and remember how we had something called hives and remember how we used to travel all day. Well, of course other sites came and removed and that was all fine. But the things I read there truly made me see all the evil in the world. You know, the things you can discover when you start doing your own research, right? The rich elites, a bunch of murders and pedophiles and this big resetting and plotting. Did you know they eat babies? Or at least they kidnap them and then murder them and feed them pizza? Well, we are not taking it anymore. Tech, do we have something to say to that? Dear Kori, thank you for being connected because who are you? Who are you without your friends to tell you about all the misdeeds in the world? Have you heard about the Bilderberg convention? Davos? Have you heard all the stuff they do there? The things they stage? The things with the immigrants? Just to get our houses? Just to get our jobs? Just to keep us in our place? We're just asking questions. We need you, Kori, to know the truth and to spread it. Thank you, Mr. Big Tech. Don't worry, Kori, there's only us. And here at Big Tech, we're all about community. So here's to the truth, seekers, the light workers, the rebels, the showers from the rooftops. No, no, no, not that again. We've heard that before. No, no! I request another witness. The megastar philosophy himself needs to be heard. Folks, once again, I'd like you to give it up for none other than... Plato! Hey, it's me again, just a jaded Mandarin from you all times. You remember what I said, right? Infinite complexity, worlds within worlds, cats within cats. So you look at technology and you say that's the thing. But you forget that tech is just the thing that gets you to the thing. And behind the thing, it's just us. You know, I'm from a land of olive stone and lime yards, and I say cut out the middle thing, man. Just step over these tools you use and things, loving things again. Such wise words from our friend, people of the jury. Having heard these words, it is time to decide with who's to hang and who's to abide. Let's get that France crowned in here. Wait a minute! Carla just told me that you use all our truth-telling to make money. You turn our hard work into ad revenue. We need to make money for you to spread the truth. You don't care about the truth, you only care about the profit. How do you expect us to pay our rent? We need to make money too, Corey. And this is how we all decided to use the thing to make money. Sorry, you got a little gloss there, Connie. We were just trying our best for you and for us, but mostly for you. So you know, maybe, maybe it's not us you need to get rid of. Maybe it's technology itself. Yeah, yeah. It's technology's fault. It's text fault. You did nothing wrong, Mr. Big Tech. I knew it was the technology all along. I knew it because why do I always ask a question about anything and the answer always seems to be, oh, it's the bad nature of humans, but we are not the bad thing here. When I was a kid, I was taught we could achieve anything. Start a restaurant. Yeah, start it. Go to space, you know, be excellent. You are excellent, Connie. Be loving. Love. But we are not made to use the power of the gods. Exactly. And if the tech gets in the way, I say crucify you, technology. Sorry, I really don't know if that is the way forward. Just do it. Sorry, how can you even exist without technology? Oh, we'll survive. Didn't you hear at Play-Doh? Tech is just the thing between the things, man. You can cut it out. We've always survived. You see, we're not bound to technology. We're just bound to your hard-earned cash. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. You cannot get rid of me. Just make it happen. No, I cannot really let... I cannot let this go through, please. Crucify it. How can we... Crucify it. How can we... Crucify it. Crucify it. Crucify it. Crucify it. Crucify it. Crucify it. Crucify it. Crucify it. Then so it shall happen. Technology will be crucified. You will die for your syntax. So... here? Oh, this is for me then, I think. Do I have to look in the camera or...? Well, what I can still remember very well is that I was behind a screen at the time. And that I was a bit in the way, whether I was a robot or a human, because I couldn't click on all traffic lights. It was clear that something had to happen there. Well, it was unbearable actually. The speed of innovation, it just went way too fast. Within 15 years, we went from sending short sms's to talking about human brain interfaces. It was just a sort of sci-fi or something, or actually a sort of magic. There was so much possible. And some things could stay better fiction. Yes, in the beginning it was chaos, of course. I mean, some things are a bit faster than others. When they decided that it had to be removed, then, and I know that very well, when all the cars flew on the street, they flew spontaneously in the van. It had something to do with the software or something. And that was really one of those things for me, where you noticed how dependent we actually became of everything. You know, small things, big things. Bam! Every screen goes black in one go, or blue, so to speak, blue screen or death. And they first did that with a sort of forced software update. And after that came a sort of big magnetic pulse. In any case, it looked very dramatic. No, no, no. I think that was the right thing to do, how it was regulated. Not everything was changed in one go. Yes, of course, it had to do with the citizen advice. I was also a part of it, by the way. We discussed for a month what to do with it, what to do with it. I was still thinking, oh yes, I think they talked about the independent complaint, or the transfer of debt or something. It must have felt like that. Google Maps. I miss that, I miss that. And then that press conference, Roadmap to Freedom. Those first weeks really seemed like a sort of feeling in the air, an electrical feeling, almost. Actually, as if we were all very early, a bit early in the morning. Of course, there was also a lot of resistance. You had people who went up the street, all the governments went under it in the end. Brazil, Poland, or Belgium, of course, they all had to do with it. You know what you do with the pyramids. But in the end, it was inevitable. In the beginning, we were all very early, so we had to go to the streets. And then we went to the streets. Well, it also seemed like there was more time for everything. Because it's also weird how it works. My mother said that it felt like an elastic that would be wrapped around you that would slowly start to loosen up. In a good way. Also in a bad way. I remember that really as a very, very happy period in our lives. Of course there was courage and honesty, of course, but above all a sort of shared feeling of need. How did it happen? The closure. It had to. It's because we didn't deliver enough, you know? And it was there that the rebellion became uncontrollable. It seemed like a penance, you know? They came to take us out of the jail. I think, in the end, we didn't have much time. No, so we had to go. And it wasn't just the jail, you know? It was a whole repression of our life. And it wasn't even allowed to talk about it. At some point, because I was just curious about how it felt again, all that technology. When I went to the Groentenburg, I bought one big potato. I took it home, and then I sold it there. I made a battery out of it. By the way, I can't say this on camera, but you can make a battery out of a potato. He did it, too. It gave a bit of light to a piece of wood. So, in the end, he took it home. Confiscated a potato. It's a bit weird, isn't it? Right? So, is this recorded? To draw a line in the sand and say, this is what's human, this is what's nature, and the rest isn't? Even though the whole thing sprung from our own brains, isn't it just rearrangement of energy, just taking what was already there? Why do we feel this need to differentiate? Isn't that just an emission of weakness? I mean, it's not like technology is some sort of entity, right? It's an ongoing process. It's a conversation. It's a piece of metal being stuck in a potato who decides where the story gets cut off. So, that's it. So, that is it. No, no, no, no, no. No. No. No. Derek. No. No. Not again. No, this can't be it! We can't just get rid of technology. I mean, how does that... Third day, we try again. Yes. Okay. So, come people, help me lament. Help me try. Help me try again. For we are here, and we are vengeful. Come people. Oh, where does our anger lie now? Yes. Yes, we are here in front of the court. You. You. Do your sit-down. Sit-down. Come here. Come here. Sit-down with your mic. There you go. Say your Big Tech thing. Yes. We here at Big Tech, we're all about community, right? Yes. Thank you. So, here's for the dreamers. Shut up. Okay. You. Cody. Here. On your seat. Say your Cody thing. I used to be a big believer in social media. Yes, exactly. That's what the thing is. The thing is, what you do, you take truth, and you twist it around. And you see, Cody, Cody is very sad. Because what you do is you take reality, you take truth, and you say, hi, I'm Big Tech, and I'm going to turn it all into a fucking glitter blotcher. That's what you do. I love glitter blotches. Are there more? Yes, you love glitter blotches, and that's exactly the problem. Are there more glitter blotches? You love glitter blotches. You love it. You love what he does with the truth and reality. No, no, no. Is it you that should be crucified? We should crucify the user? Play-toe. Play-toe. Play-toe. Play-toe. Don't you see we're all the same, right? You, the technology, me, and the humaness of it all. You see, maybe you just need to get rid of everything, because this isn't working out for you, is it? No. No. There must be another way. There must be... And that's what I will do. If I can just say, you're also bound by your little languages and realities. Get out of the cave. Oh, okay. I will crucify. Because you want me to crucify. You want me to crucify. You started this. I didn't start this. No. I will set us free from the cave, like you said. I will crucify truth and reality. I will crucify truth and reality, because you all stopped caring so long ago. Reality, I crucify you. Let it die, so that it may rise again. Oh, it's like a semi-color or something? Yeah, man. Look, it's... Oh, nice. Yeah. Okay, look, I'm gonna catch him. I got screwed. Guys, guys, guys, guys. Shhh. Shhh. Our internet. Who are all around us. Hello is your name. Your kingdom come. May our input be worthy of your glory. Give us this day our daily means. And forgive us our scapegoating. As we forgive those who scapegoat against us. Please give us the space to stand still. Forget growth and forget moving forward. Amen.