In a recent interview, author Peter Schmidt highlights the dangers of modern smartphones, depicting them as tools of control rather than personal autonomy.
In an interview with Folha, Peter Schmidt, a professor and co-founder of the collective 'Amigos da Atenção', discusses the intrusive nature of smartphones, which he describes as part of a $15 trillion infrastructure measuring and responding to our deepest desires and behaviors. Schmidt emphasizes that this reality presents a significant threat to personal freedom, questioning the concept of autonomy in the context of constant surveillance by technology.
Education and activism play crucial roles in Schmidt's perspective; his collective emerged in the wake of the São Paulo Biennial in 2018, aimed at promoting awareness of the risks posed by large tech companies, which he refers to as 'human fracking'. This term characterizes the exploitation of human subjectivity for profit. The group's efforts include operating a school in Brooklyn that advocates for 'attention activism', targeting the alarming commodification of personal experiences and attention.
Schmidt's forthcoming book, 'Attensity! A Manifesto of the Attention Liberation Movement', co-authored with over 30 researchers and activists, will compile these ideas and strategies for resisting the pervasive culture of surveillance and control. The discussion not only sheds light on individual privacy issues but also raises broader questions regarding societal freedom in an age dominated by technology.
