Latest Posts
Product “Ecosystems” are Actually Prisons
Amidst the endless streams of advertising we are often forced to endure, it is not uncommon that we encounter a new tech product whose alleged virtues are upheld by their attachment to a ~software ecosystem~. Apple is particularly notorious for this–their product announcements are always strewn with mention of the Ecosystem and how their latest…
The Irony of Banning TikTok
By now, it might be old news to address the United States attempting to ban the Chinese social media and entertainment app TikTok. Yet it speaks to a potentially declining prestige of US tech, as well as the broader public perception of digital privacy. For those unaware, TikTok gained popularity in the US in early…
The Dangers of Ideology as a Marketing Tactic
Corporations Don’t Have Beliefs There is no doubt that we are breeding a deeply consumeristically motivated culture. Our rampant desires to consume are biologically rooted, and the social pressures to participate in capitalism only exacerbate these behaviors. There is sound evolutionary reason behind these tendencies–they help us seek out the best-fit tools for our benefit–but…
About
Put simply, Critique && Cogitations is exactly that–criticism and an attempt at some meaningful cognition towards the various topics this blog encompasses. Among them, and by far the most prominent:
- Discussions on consumer technology, with the intention of scrutinizing the toxic ecosystems into which computer users are forced.
- Amateur-friendly introductions into alternatives to those ecosystems, that respect privacy, customizability, and overall user enjoyment–with the larger goal of showing that the average user can easily become informed and effective in their leveraging of technology.
- Critiques of certain technologies altogether, with a focus on their “societal impact”, so to speak.
- Glimpses into the philosophies we find compelling, so that we might posit some way to better live our lives all around.
That, and much more.
Critique && Cogitations 