Celebrating One Year of Tech Won’t Save Us!

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: Paris Marks marks Tech Won't Save Us' first anniversary by reflecting on the show's mission, his own background, and future plans. He previews a May series on alternative network histories—Silicon Valley, Minitel, Cybersyn, and the Soviet internet—to challenge techno-utopian narratives and argue that technology is shaped by political and economic power, not inevitability.

Main Topics: Podcast anniversary and host introduction (Priority: 5/5): Marks reintroduces himself as a freelance writer, researcher, and host, explaining his broader left-wing and critical-tech work and the busy month that led to a solo update episode instead of an interview. Future research on power and technology (Priority: 5/5): He describes PhD research focused on how tech elites frame the future in self-serving ways while claiming broad public benefit, a theme he wants to deepen through interviews and writing. May interview series on alternative network histories (Priority: 5/5): Marks previews guests Margaret O’Mara, Kevin Driscoll, Eden Medina, and Ben Peters, each discussing a different historical example of how networks were built and what different technological outcomes might have been possible. Critique of Silicon Valley and techno-utopianism (Priority: 5/5): The episode argues that Silicon Valley’s self-image as innovation-driven and government-independent obscures the central role of the public sector, and that mainstream tech discourse too often treats technological change as inherently beneficial. Control, access, and infrastructure as political (Priority: 4/5): Marks emphasizes that technologies become hard to opt out of once embedded in daily life and institutions, using Facebook and Amazon Go as examples of how convenience can mask exclusion and control. Growth plans: newsletter, website, transcripts (Priority: 4/5): He outlines plans for a critical tech newsletter, a new podcast website, and transcripts to increase accessibility, reach, and citation value for listeners and guests. Audience, funding, and global reach (Priority: 4/5): Marks thanks listeners and Patreon supporters, highlighting the show’s international audience and explaining that listener funding allows the podcast to remain free for everyone.

Key Arguments: Technology should be evaluated critically rather than assumed to be progress or public benefit by default. Silicon Valley’s development depended heavily on government funding, universities, and public-sector investment, contradicting claims of pure free-market self-creation. Alternative networks like Minitel, Cybersyn, and Soviet networking projects show that the internet was not inevitable and could have evolved differently. Once technologies are normalized inside social systems, genuine opt-out becomes difficult or impossible for many people. Convenience-oriented tech can create hidden exclusion, such as when infrastructure requires smartphones, data plans, or platform accounts. A free podcast supported by patrons is a fairer model than paywalling guest conversations, especially for an international audience. Making transcripts and a better website is part of making the show more accessible and useful to listeners and researchers.

Data Points: Podcast anniversary: 1 year - Marks reflects on the first year of Tech Won't Save Us since launching during the first lockdown last April. Planned new members goal: 30 new members at $5/month or more - The month-long Patreon drive set this as the target. New supporters gained: 63 - At last count during the member drive, 63 new supporters had signed up on Patreon. Support growth: Almost doubled - Marks says monetary support for the show nearly doubled during the month. May interview count previewed: 4 guests - He previews interviews with Margaret O’Mara, Kevin Driscoll, Eden Medina, and Ben Peters. Countries reached per episode: 70 to 80 countries - Marks says each episode typically reaches listeners across this many countries. Degree earned: Master's in geography - He notes his academic background at McGill University in Montreal. PhD program location: University of Auckland, New Zealand - Marks says he recently started a PhD there but remains in Canada due to border restrictions.

Pivotal Quotes: "the goal was all about was to start a weekly critical tech newsletter" — Paris Marks: Explaining the next phase of the podcast’s expansion and editorial strategy. "why should these people in the tech industry be making all of the decisions about the world that we live in and the lives that we lead?" — Paris Marks: A core statement of his political critique of technology and power. "the internet is fantastic, it's great, but there are some issues with it" — Paris Marks: Introduces the idea he wants to interrogate through historical cases of alternative network development.

Implications: The episode positions technology as a political project shaped by institutions and power. For listeners, it signals more historically grounded criticism, broader international coverage, and new access tools that could widen the show’s influence.