Steinem's Warning: Tech Must Restore Human Connection

Gloria Steinem, a renowned journalist and women's rights activist, passed away on September 2. Her legacy lives on through her keynote address at SDF 2011, where she emphasized the importance of 'connection' in the age of AI.

In 2011, social media was still a relatively new concept, but Steinem saw its potential to connect people across gender, race, and class. She noted that technology could bring about movements like the Arab Spring, which highlighted the power of collective action.

Steinem also drew attention to the historical role women have played in networking and connection-making. She cited computer scientist Grace Hopper and Cisco co-founder Sandy Lerner as examples of women who had made significant contributions to the tech industry.

However, Steinem warned that excessive internet use could lead to issues like cyberbullying and online pornography. She argued that humans are fundamentally communal creatures, and that technology must be used to restore the egalitarian human archetype of 'complements.'