This is it, John, the last podcast of 2017.

Oh, God, what a year.

Have you been reflecting it all on 2017 and what it's meant for you in the world?

I'm not a very reflective person.

That's not true.

You are very reflective.

I'm just kidding.

No, I have.

I have. This has been a, it's been an interesting year for me because I think that

You know I've been through this I've been through this kind of metamorphosis with technology where you know a decade ago when I was at the New York Times I was

writing pieces that were in defense of technology and I remember I got into a public

debate with the New Yorker when I was at the times, with George

Packer about the importance of Twitter and social media. I then got into another public

debate with Bill Keller when he was editor-in-chief that almost you know got me in

trouble but I I felt so strongly about about the importance of social media that I felt the importance of social media that I felt the need to defend it to both these people.

And yet now I feel like I just think it's really disheartening what what has become of technology

and I what I've been reflecting on and I don't know the answer to this is if

people are inherently good and that technology somehow makes them do and say bad things

because they do say good things on these platforms or if it's the other way around that we, you know,

seeing people in an empathetic way makes us act empathetically and nice to each other and that technology allows us to really be the people who we

really are which is not so nice.

That's what I've been reflecting on.

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