September 2019:  Franklin Club Members Remain (Mostly) Bullish About Technology 

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BEIT SHALOM AUDITORIUM, Tel Aviv – Can we have the good without the bad?  This was the central question being debated in an evening of three presentations and discussions about technology and its effects on privacy, society and well-being.

 

Daniel K. (how many Daniels do we now have in the club?  The answer is six) described the structure and types of reputation systems (defined as programs that provide the ability to measure or rate someone based on certain data, think Uber score or personality type), and attempted to dispel the notion that such systems are inherently dangerous and will necessarily be abused by bad actors.  He even went "old-school" and used a whiteboard!

 

Aliza then talked about the possible negative effects that social media and artificial intelligence have on our lives—reducing meaningful human interactions, weakening cognitive skills such as memory and argumentation, and removing human agency from decision-making.  Several members countered that the fear and anxiety surrounding technology is overblown, and society will inevitably address technology's ill-effects with better awareness, behavioral corrections and more effective government regulation.  

 

Maya concluded the evening with a presentation about how we are affected by “digital overwhelm”, and what we can do to take back control of our attention and our digital lives.  Her company Digital Zen offers practical tools to reduce digital distraction and the time-wasting effects of technology on our lives:  https://www.facebook.com/hellodigitalzen.

 

Smartphones, mobile apps and algorithmic media platforms give us powerful new tools to communicate with anyone, find anything and seek love anywhere.  But clearly, we don’t always use these tools effectively and in a healthy way, and many powerful forces, from governments to media companies, are incentivized to monopolize our attention and distract us.  (Example:  Netflix, a massive time-sucker, but also the source of fantastic documentaries that we've watched and debated at the Franklin Club).  

 

So while technology empowers us, it can also be dangerous, and it’s (seemingly) up to us to make the right choices.  Most members of the Franklin Club are optimistic about our ability to do so, and it’s important that we do everything we can to make sure that the optimistic view proves correct.  

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Israel's 2019 Elections - Presentations By Franklin Club Members:

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IMPERIAL HOTEL, Tel Aviv – The Franklin Club is getting ready for the 2019 elections in Israel.  On a chilly Sunday evening in Tel Aviv, approximately 25 members, an attendance record, showed up to eat pizza, drink beer, see their friends and make new ones, and learn about Israel’s political system and parties.  It was the first event for several members, and one member even drove down from the far-flung city of Netanya.  Kol hakavod!

 

After an informative overview of the Israeli political system (thanks Daniel A.), seven members gave short, well-researched presentations about the main parties running in the 2019 elections, including, from right to left:  Israel Beitenu, The New Right, Likud, United Torah Judaism, Shas, Resilience for Israel, Yesh Atid, Labor, Meretz and the Joint Arab List (the original presenters of Meretz and the Joint Arab List couldn’t attend the event, so unfortunately these parties did not receive the respect and attention they deserve; whether this was a coincidence or a metaphor for the languishing state of leftist parties remains to be seen).

 

The presentations were informative and blended factual overviews with opinion-based analysis, humor and fun.  The only malfunction was that a few of the whimsical emojis decorating the Israel Beitenu presentation did not display correctly on the projector screen.  The lively crowd was disappointed, but persevered.

 

The attendees left the event knowing a great deal more about Israeli politics.  Said one member, “thanks for organizing and making us all more educated and informed voters!”.  But many members remain uncertain about who they will be voting for in April—one explained dryly and with a hint of consternation that “the only thing certain about the upcoming elections is that they will be a giant clusterf*#k”.

 

Whether or not that will be the case, the Franklin Club members now have a better understanding of the political parties, the issues, and the political landscape in Israel.  And that’s definitely a good thing!

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