If technology is going to take over our lives, it needs to be a bit more considerate

If 2018 was the year we learnt to hate tech, then 2019 must be the year it hopes to win us back. It might seem that recently the industry has given up on its aspirations to revolutionise knowledge and communications, and instead focused on sowing disinformation and monetising our private lives. It was blamed for election results and mental health crises, finally changing the world on the scale its proponents promise – but not for the better. As the new year begins, companies will be defined by their response to these challenges. It seems unlikely that the largest tech companies will rise or fall any time soon, but we will likely point to this time as the moment things changed.