Entering the Matrix: Preparing Students for the Future

In the last two weeks, we at the Blue Ridge Center have had the privilege of hosting two events on the intersection of tech and politics. The first was on the impact that social media has on our politics, the second on freedom of speech and technology (and the internet). One of our speakers for the latter event, Ari Cohn, began his talk with an interesting observation: increasingly, the internet is the primary organ by which our right to free speech is exercised. Our society is increasingly digitized.

Last week, there was a fascinating interview in The New York Times between Ezra Klein and Thomas Friedman. Friedman, a China dove, recently visited the Middle Kingdom and was impressed by what he perceived as their technological advancement in major cities. He explained that much of China has become a cashless society - and in large urban centers, the homeless beg with QR codes. Let’s assume, for the sake of argument, that China is in this respect only a few years ahead of the US. Even as something so basic as money has become an entirely digitized good there, many aspects of our lives here will continue to transition out of the physical world and into cyberspace. 

A pertinent example of this trend was discussed two weeks ago when the Blue Ridge Center hosted Megan McArdle, a columnist at the Washington Post. Mrs. McArdle’s talk, focused on the relationship between politics and social media, was a welcome reminder that the modern polis is increasingly situated, not in the context of geography or community, but in the amorphous ether of the internet. Some of this is a byproduct of wider changes wrought by digital technology, and some of it is a result of an interplay between technological dynamics and political strategy. See, for example, the contrast between the Trump and Harris campaigns in the 2024 general election, in which Trump’s victory came, in part, as a result of his greater engagement with the online space, such as his appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience. 

The Matrix this is not, but with each passing year our offline lives become more intertwined with our online ones. Mr. Cohn’s remarks at the beginning of our talk take on a new, prescient light: the arena in which all the important discussions of today take place is the internet. Here at the Blue Ridge Center, we aim to equip students to navigate the increasingly digitized landscape by bringing in experts to help them approach the future strategically and thoughtfully.