ever think about how people working in tech did not have to go $72k into debt in order to get their jobs that pay $72k more in a year than you'll ever see in your life and it don't make them risk their lives during a pandemic assitsing people who were fucked over by technology

every time i'm unable to help a housing unstable old lady find housing because landlords are requiring she use some app and she only has a flip-phone and doesn't know how to text i'm like

damn the person who built this app earns 4x more than me to fuck over this lady

Stop making everything require the use of technology when 25% of American households don't even have a computer and internet at home. In cities like Philadelphia it's more than half of all household earning less then $70k/year who do not have access to a computer at home.

"Must send a digital resume"
"Must text the landlord"
"Must use this app"
"Must pay rent over venmo"
"Must apply online"

You are excluding so many low income people by doing this. You are locking them out of society. Locking them deeper in the cycle of poverty

It's more clear than ever how bad this problem is during the pandemic. With public libraries closed or operating in limited capacity it is simply not even POSSIBLE for everyone needs to use the computer to get computer access for as much time as they need to actually do anything

Even just not wanting to use Facebook locks you out of huge chunks of society. You can't find out about local events, or RSVP to them, you don't get invited to stuff, you don't know about protests, you maybe can't find housing or assistance without facebook groups

And obviously it's not an accident. when a landlord says "MUST TEXT NO CALLS" obviously this is intentional to exclude people based on what would lead someone to be texting proficient (age, income, history of access to tech in life leading to comfort)

Anyway today I am mad because I'm thinking about how much money the people who build this horrible exclusionary technology get paid every year while none of that money goes towards ensuring everyone can actually access and *feel comfortable using* that technology.

2-factor authentication is very secure yes and it also is constantly locking poor people out of their email & bank accounts often with no human being you can talk to to regain access which in many situations can materially fuck them over hardcore. If you lose yr phone# yr fucked

How many techies design their UX thinking about people whose only tech access is 30 minutes at the public library 3 times a week. that's their only encounter with computers.

right now that's upwards of 60% of Philadelphians earning less than $70k/year

and right now they have to *risk catching covid-19* just to use those computers.

and you, techie, are working safely at home, earning $90k+/year, to create this situation. To further this process in society

nobody working in tech should be active like they're the vanguard of the proletariat when this is the product of their labor. I'm a librarian, OBVIOUSLY I think it's great to read books. But you still have to try *actually being in the material world*