Last but not least: Enzensberger's rules for the digital world
In an article in the FAZ on Saturday, Hans Magnus Enzensberger calls on people to stop using credit cards, throw away their cell phones, and write postcards for confidential messages. Can he really be serious?
"If you own a cell phone, throw it away," Enzensberger begins his argument. This is followed by nine further calls to avoid digital services such as online banking, ad-financed private television or social networks in order to resist "exploitation and surveillance" by companies and secret services.
The article triggers masses of comments - and above all causes astonishment. "One of Germany's once leading intellectuals is making a terrible fool of himself with his 10 theses on digital life," writes Jürgen Kuri, deputy editor-in-chief of Heise.de. Most readers also think he is an unworldly and antiquated "poet", "pensioner" or "horse-drawn carriage driver".
FAZ co-editor Frank Schirrmacher defends his author: "Irony seems to have a hard time on digital devices," he tweets. In fact, the article could also be taken to mean that an individual can only combat the negative aspects of digitalization in an absurd way - as absurd as the "ten simple rules". Because: "Of course, the political problem facing society cannot be solved with these simple rules," Enzensberger adds at the end. However, the irony is difficult to recognize without an explicit reference. Instead, the article has now sparked a heated discussion, as Enzensberger would probably like. (sis)
You can find the complete article here.
