In Paris at the turn of the twentieth century, commercial artists began putting up posters around the city advertising venues and shows and the like. It was so effective that soon posters were covering every surface of the city, leading to a concerted push by Parisians to regulate and rein in what had become visual pollution. The Sirens' Call - Chris Hayes Pg 137
Big Tech likes to tell us that the way things are today can't change. They take this stance because it's in their best interests to continue to monopolize our attention. But like Paris did, there are a number of states that outlaw billboards. I'm sure there was a huge outcry from businesses that would no longer be able to get the attention that billboards provided, but that didn't stop the states from outlawing them.
Even some countries ban, or severely limit billboards. Attention, and in some places safety takes precedence. Billboards distracting drivers on the highway aren't a worthy trade off for some.
What would it take for society to wake up to the siren call of Big Tech stealing attention? Would we have to focus on how it steals worker productivity thus harms GDP? Would we have to look at the impact it has on meaningful family connections?
