The privilege of pessimism: The politics of despair towards the digital and the moral imperative to hope

The West is suffering from ‘pessimism paralysis’ – a despair towards the digital. This stands against the contagion of hope towards new technologies among young people, most of whom live in the Global South and have fast come online due to increasingly cheap mobile phones and data plans. The digital, despite the risks of surveillance and control, offers these young people with the possibility of a little more freedom to find pleasure, leisure, and spaces for self-actualization. While fears and concerns around new technology are legitimate, they become critically meaningful when they fairly account for the full spectrum of human sentiment driven by diverse lived experiences. Pessimism is a privilege for those who can afford to live with despair. It is our moral imperative to hope as this collective belief can be harnessed to align the digital with global social flourishing.