How our love of gadgets makes us hate each other

Apple and Google evangelists are nearly as zealous as their religious counterparts. And these tribal divisions will only get worse as technology gets better

D.B. Grady

There is something about technology that incites not only opinion, but angry, defensive posturing. People don't just prefer Android — they hate Apple. They don't just like PlayStation 4 — they find no redeeming value at all in the Xbox. Do you like Windows 8? You're an idiot and we'll prove our unyielding love for Windows 7 by pining for Microsoft's bankruptcy and liquidation.

So personal are these devices and programs that they now offer a new way of dividing people and creating tribes. And tribes are excellent vehicles for irrational hatred.

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David W. Brown

David W. Brown is coauthor of Deep State (John Wiley & Sons, 2013) and The Command (Wiley, 2012). He is a regular contributor to TheWeek.com, Vox, The Atlantic, and mental_floss. He can be found online here.