Tech crunch is up its own behind on this one. The first potential reason is "resentment" people have toward the rich and glamorous San Jose lifestyle or because technology is "like magic" to the simple lay-folk. People are distrustful of things that have a track record of losing their trust, and tech is very high on this list.
The other day I was returning some umbrellas to a Target. I had bought them online and picked them up at a different store. When trying to return them the nice old woman at the customer service counter had issues receiving the inventory because Target's system was not accepting the return of inventory whith such circuitous provenance. We were both intelligent humans, I had a valid receipt, and in another era she could have just taken the umbrellas and the issue would have been resolved. But today we have software which contains all the rules, and often these rules extend out into the world and begin to govern our lives.
My example is silly, but think about how often tech restricts you versus how often is frees you. People reading this on HN might feel the answer is about even, but most people not in tech would probably have a very different answer.
The other day I was returning some umbrellas to a Target. I had bought them online and picked them up at a different store. When trying to return them the nice old woman at the customer service counter had issues receiving the inventory because Target's system was not accepting the return of inventory whith such circuitous provenance. We were both intelligent humans, I had a valid receipt, and in another era she could have just taken the umbrellas and the issue would have been resolved. But today we have software which contains all the rules, and often these rules extend out into the world and begin to govern our lives.
My example is silly, but think about how often tech restricts you versus how often is frees you. People reading this on HN might feel the answer is about even, but most people not in tech would probably have a very different answer.