Close Menu
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    • Home
    • About Us
    • Digital Subscription
    • Advertisement
    • Contact Us
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    The Tennessee TribuneThe Tennessee Tribune
    Advertise With Us
    • Home
      • COVID-19 Resource Center
        • Dr. Henry Louis Gates’ PSA Radio
      • Featured
    • News
      • State
      • Local
      • National/International News
      • Global
      • Business
        • Commentary
        • Finance
        • Local Business
      • Investigative Stories
        • Affordable Housing
        • DCS Investigation
        • Gentrification
    • Editorial
      • National Politics
      • Local News
      • Local Editorial
      • Political Editorial
      • Editorial Cartoons
      • Cycle of Shame
    • Community
      • History
      • Tennessee
        • Chattanooga
        • Clarksville
        • Knoxville
        • Memphis
      • Public Notices
      • Women
        • Let’s Talk with Ms. June
    • Education
      • College
        • American Baptist College
        • Belmont University
        • Fisk
        • HBCU
        • Meharry
        • MTSU
        • University of Tennessee
        • TSU
        • Vanderbilt
      • Elementary
      • High School
    • Lifestyle
      • Art
      • Auto
      • Tribune Travel
      • Entertainment
        • 5 Questions With
        • Books
        • Events
        • Film Review
        • Local Entertainment
      • Family
      • Food
        • Drinks
      • Health & Wellness
      • Home & Garden
      • Featured Books
    • Religion
      • National Religion
      • Local Religion
      • Obituaries
        • National Obituaries
        • Local Obituaries
      • Faith Commentary
    • Sports
      • MLB
        • Sounds
      • NBA
      • NCAA
      • NFL
        • Predators
        • Titans
      • NHL
      • Other Sports
      • Golf
      • Professional Sports
      • Sports Commentary
      • Metro Sports
    • Media
      • Video
      • Photo Galleries
      • Take 10
      • Trending With The Tribune
    • Classified
    • Obituaries
      • Local Obituaries
      • National Obituaries
    The Tennessee TribuneThe Tennessee Tribune
    C-Suite

    Tech-Philosopher Brings Focus To Human Interactions With Bots, ‘Likes’ And More

    zenger.newsBy zenger.newsAugust 19, 2021No Comments4 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Telegram Pinterest Tumblr Reddit Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email
    Advertisement

    Understanding the relationship between people and technology is the new frontier across almost every aspect of society today.

    Among those entering into the realm of human-technology interactions is Alex Wolf, an award-winning entrepreneur and “tech philosopher.”

    Her work involves “studying the nature of how technology changes our environments, changes our behaviors and essentially changes the relationships we have with each other,” Wolf said in a 2019 presentation on YouTube.

    Wolf uses philosophy, history and marketing to inform how she views the relationship between people and technology, and turned her online presence into an online business called Bossbabe. She was named one of “the 100 most creative people in business” in 2016 by Fast Company magazine as founder and chairman of that company, “a members-only online community for millennial women looking to build their own online businesses.”

    She also received a 2019 Innovators and Disruptors Award by New York On Tech.

    Wolf dropped out of community college in Berkeley, California, at age 19 to be an independent social media consultant and founded her company in 2014. Co-founder Natalie Ellis is credited with growing the company’s Instagram followers to three million over three years, generating multiple seven figures of revenue,” according to the website.

    Wolf sold Bossbabe in early 2018 to start marketing firm Alex Wolf Productions. The company aims to cultivate “meaningful media experiences for brands … that fit with [their] mission and values.” The company has worked with Dropbox, Snapchat and Belvedere Vodka, and it counts Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel and singer-songwriter Janelle Monáe among its supporters.

    Wolf’s specialties include developing creative campaigns, producing branded content and influencer marketing. Beyond that, she speaks on various platforms about whether technology gives a person’s life meaning or detracts from that.

    “I predict the mobile-computer-we-use-for-everything-but-calling-people … is going to drive us so insane [that] we’ll eventually seek alternative devices that don’t make us feel like such desperate, addicted losers,” Wolf wrote in a blog about reviving her flip phone. Her other target was the “Like” button on social media. “Is it worth it?” she wrote in an Instagram post in 2018.

    Meanwhile, Motorola, which had introduced its Razr flip phone in 2003 and revised it several times over the years, revived it as the Droid Razr for Verizon in 2011. Another revised model was introduced in 2019 — well after Wolf’s blog comments.

    That same year, Instagram began testing feeds without “likes” and in May this year announced that it was giving users on Instagram and Facebook of hiding their “like” counts.

    “We tested hiding like counts to see if it might depressurize people’s experience on Instagram. What we heard from people and experts was that not seeing like counts was beneficial for some, and annoying to others, particularly because people use like counts to get a sense for what’s trending or popular, so we’re giving you the choice,” the announcement stated.

    Wolf says her ability to be so forward-thinking is a result of being a marketer.

    Advertisement

    “After a while you notice [the business is] less about missing another T-shirt or lip gloss and more that it could be the actual meaning of life itself.”

    Marketing isn’t a game of products, it’s a game of people, and Wolf has learned to play it. Though she personally has not amassed a huge following on Twitter and Instagram, she does not consider that to be a disadvantage.

    “Invisibility is a war strategy,” Wolf said. “There’s a reason why Harriet Tubman was one of the most effective spies during the Civil War.”

    Technology and society

    Tech philosophers “can often spot ‘side effects’ of technology which can be developed to create more useful products, and they can warn developers of potential damage that a developing tech might cause,” said Anthony Beavers, professor emeritus of philosophy at the University of Evansville.

    Tech philosophers “can also work to harness technological development by identifying ‘affordances’ that might not be immediately apparent to designers,” said Beavers. That is, they can see new ways in which technologies can be used that others don’t think about.

    Still, this line of work is not for everyone — and Wolf does not encourage others to follow the entrepreneurial path.

    Wolf is proud of her work, but for those looking to follow her example, she cautions: “Don’t,” she said, as there’s “lots of risk and very little reward.”

    “It’s fun in the beginning but after about three to four years you begin to feel burnt out and start looking for other options,” says Wolf.

    Edited by Matthew B. Hall and Judith Isacoff



    The post Tech-Philosopher Brings Focus To Human Interactions With Bots, ‘Likes’ And More appeared first on Zenger News.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    zenger.news
    • Website

    Related Posts

    SBA Awards $100K to Tennessee Export Initiative at Belmont University to Support Small Business Export Growth 

    October 22, 2024

    Slutty Vegan Restaurant to Host Nashville Residency August 1-7

    July 20, 2024

    Christoph Communications Opens Office in Nashville

    June 27, 2024

    How to start or set up your small business for success 

    April 4, 2024

    Tennessee Small Businesses No Longer Have to File Business Tax

    March 4, 2024

    Black Small Business Owners More Optimistic, Ready for Growth in 2024

    January 30, 2024

    Comments are closed.

    Business

    Target Boycotts and its Effect on Both Sides of the Black Dollar

    May 6, 2025

    FedEx to Launch FedEx Easy Returns at 3,000 Locations Across the US, Supported by Blue Yonder

    May 2, 2025

    Best Lawyers® Names Bailey, Hargrove, Haynes, and Stakely Lawyers of the Year

    April 24, 2025
    1 2 3 … 382 Next
    Education
    HBCU

    TSU Honors New Generation of Leaders at Spring Commencement Celebration

    By Emmanuel FreemanMay 8, 2025

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. – (TSU News Service)– In a celebration steeped in legacy and hope, Tennessee…

    Fisk University Honors the Class of 2025 with Baccalaureate and Commencement Ceremonies

    April 26, 2025

    TSU’s Spring Commencement Ceremonies to Feature Inspiring Keynote Speakers

    April 24, 2025

    TSU’s Dr. Robbie K. Melton Named a 2025 Leading Woman in AI

    April 24, 2025
    The Tennessee Tribune
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    • About Us
    • Digital Subscription
    • Store
    • Advertise With Us
    • Contact
    © 2025 The Tennessee Tribune - Site Designed by No Regret Media.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Our Spring Sale Has Started

    You can see how this popup was set up in our step-by-step guide: https://wppopupmaker.com/guides/auto-opening-announcement-popups/