I used to be excited about new tech, but I rarely am anymore

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Many longtime technologists say they no longer feel genuine excitement about new gadgets and platforms, attributing the change partly to aging and partly to a shift from empowering, open technologies to locked‑down, surveillance‑driven, ad‑funded ones. Commenters contrast earlier eras of clear, life‑improving innovations (PCs, the early web, smartphones, DVDs) with today’s incremental upgrades, enshittified services, and tools that often seem designed to extract attention, data, and money. While some still find wonder in areas like AI, e‑bikes, space, and hobbyist hardware, others note a growing techno‑pessimism and even a youth‑led turn back toward analog media and less connected lifestyles.

Age vs. Changing Tech

  • Many argue the loss of excitement is largely “getting older”: once you’ve integrated key technologies into your life, further iterations feel less magical.
  • Others push back: older people may be reacting not just to age, but to having seen multiple cycles where “new tech” brought significant tradeoffs.
  • A recurring observation: early exposure to a category (PCs, internet, smartphones) feels revolutionary; later improvements in the same bucket feel like “just one more thing.”

From Empowering to Extractive / Enshittified

  • Several commenters say older waves of tech felt empowering (customizable, local, user-controlled).
  • Newer consumer tech is often seen as:
    • attention-harvesting (social media, engagement-driven design),
    • more restricted (DRM, walled gardens, cloud lock-in),
    • more surveillant (smart TVs, data collection, analytics).
  • This feeds pessimism: tech is increasingly “for employers, advertisers, and shareholders,” not users.

Areas Where Tech Still Feels Magical

  • Some remain genuinely excited about:
    • AI/LLMs for coding, research, and troubleshooting.
    • EVs, e-bikes, e-scooters, and driver-assist systems.
    • VR, drones, modern musical instruments, 3D printers, hobby CNC, SDRs, cheap radios, home automation.
  • A minority says current advances (AI, space launch, batteries, solar, streaming, self-hosted media) are at least as impressive as past eras.

Nostalgia, Gen Z, and Analog Turn

  • Nostalgia for the 90s/early internet is strong: physical media, less information overload, more shared reality.
  • Linked discussions and polls suggest Gen Z is increasingly skeptical of modern tech, nostalgic for analog media, and wary of AI’s workplace impact.
  • Some commenters note young people they meet are still excited about tech; others see boredom and disengagement. Overall sentiment is mixed/unclear.

Broader Explanations

  • Ideas raised:
    • Hedonic treadmill: constant marvels quickly become “normal.”
    • Excess abstraction: managing complex digital systems becomes its own “work.”
    • Illich-style “two watersheds”: tech initially serves people, then institutions, and starts to demand people serve it.
  • Several note that everyday miracles (global streaming on planes, phones faster than supercomputers) are easy to overlook amid commercialization and surveillance concerns.