Bang. Bang. Ouch. We Shot Ourselves in the Feet
January 25, 2019
Silicon Valley and its many offshoots are comparable to the Wild West says the Mashable article: “The Real Wild West Actually Had A Lot In Common With The Tech Industry.” Senator Mark Warner made the comparison between the Wild West and the tech industry due to the unregulated information, cyber attacks, political bias, online piracy, and other issues in the digital world.
The Wild West went from an unregulated outback to a controlled and lawful part of the United States, but how was it accomplished? Stanford University professor Richard White, an expert in American Western history as well as capitalism history, said that the tech industry regulatory changes are good, but Warner might have missed the mark with the comparison. White said:
“‘The West can serve as a cautionary tale, explaining why regulation is necessary,’ Prof. White told Mashable. ‘But also why you’d better keep a very close eye on the people who are actually shaping these regulations, and who they really benefit.’
We also noted:
The Westworld-esque “Wild West” as we imagine it never existed. Instead, Professor White explained, the true story of taming the West tells the tale of regulating the groundbreaking technology of that time: the railroads. So reigning in America’s Wild West in the mid-1800s had more to do with regulating runaway tech corporations than it did with capturing bandits. And the achievements, and mistakes, of that period in our country’s history, can teach us about what to expect from our technological and political moment today.”
According to White, the Wild West was not about gunslinging cowboys, saloons, or wrangling broncos. The true Wild West was Native American and Mexican racism followed by unregulated railroad companies. The railroad corporations had more capital than the state governments and could do practically anything they wanted, including exploiting their customers. The people in the West wanted and needed the railroads, but they were tired of being exploited. The US government then stepped in and regulated the railroads. Tech companies are now facing regulation and they do not like it.
The hope is that consumers will come out on top, tech companies will provide top services, and exploitation stops.
Whitney Grace, January 25, 2019
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