Very much inline with Gerd Leonhard‘s vision in Technology Vs. Humanity: the new film Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World of Werner Herzog (to be released later this week on Amazon Video and iTunes). In this long, feature-length documentary, the 73-year-old director tackles the most expansive project of his career: the Internet.
Herzog is considered one of the greatest figures of the New German Cinema. Herzog’s films often feature heroes with impossible dreams, people with unique talents in obscure fields, or individuals who are in conflict with nature.
In his new film, through a revolving series of profiles, Herzog examines the history and future of the online world, dissecting everything from Internet addiction to hacktivist culture and self-driving cars.
Here’s an interesting interview with the filmmaker in Rolling Stone where he talks about Revenge Porn, Adult Diapers and the Internet’s Future.
Asked if the internet is evil, Herzog answers:
Well it’s not the Internet that is evil. It’s human beings that are evil. They only have a new, different instrument to make it manifest, but it’s the same thing. Is the internet good or evil? That’s not a question that has any relevance. It’s the same thing like, Is electricity good or evil? You don’t ask this question.
Gerd Leonhard quotes in his latest book:
Technology is neither good nor bad; it simply is. We must—now and here— decide and agree which exact use is evil or not.
