Tech Churn keeps us running in circles

Hamish Campbell argues that the tech industry's cycle of adopting new platforms and tools, termed 'tech churn,' prioritizes novelty over solving real problems, leaving fundamental social issues untouched and weakening communities. He contends that this churn is driven by venture capital growth, platform lock-in, and consultants' need for transformation projects, while power structures remain stable. Campbell advocates for building resilient communities through slow, careful, and open development instead of constant migration.

techchurn https://hamishcampbell.com/tag/techchurn/ is the blocking https://hamishcampbell.com/tag/blocking/ cycle of adopting new platforms, tools and technologies – not because they solve real problems, but because novelty is mistaken for progress. Every year there’s a new framework, protocol, social platform, programming language or AI tool that promises to change everything. Communities rush to migrate, developers rebuild the same ideas, and institutions rewrite strategies. Meanwhile, the basic fundamental social problems remain untouched. The churn becomes the work that burns what remains of our commons, as the cost of this mess isn’t technical, it’s social. As every migration leaves people behind, communities fracture across platforms, documentation becomes obsolete, skills have to be relearned, leading to the disappearance of institutional memory. Relationships weaken as peoples energy and focus is consumed by rebuilding instead of improving. The result is a perpetual state of “starting again.” – it should be easy to understand as the illusion of innovation The tech industry depends on the story that newer is always better, this isn’t simply marketing, it’s the economic engine of the industry. Venture capital needs growth, platforms need lock-in, consultants need transformation projects, and companies need reasons to upgrade. The easiest way to sell something new is to convince people that what already works is obsolete – the old becomes unfashionable long before it stops being useful. The geekproblem https://hamishcampbell.com/tag/geekproblem/ feeds this cycle, as technologists focus on technical elegance while treating social continuity as someone else’s responsibility. The result is software that may be cleaner, faster or more modern, but communities that are weaker, smaller and less resilient. Technology is replaced, trust is not. What doesn’t change – Despite decades of innovation, the same underlying power structures remain remarkably stable. The dominant platforms still centralise attention – Advertising still shapes communication – Algorithms still determine visibility – Corporate ownership still captures value created by communities. The interfaces change, logos change, programming languages change but the power relationships barely move. This is why techchurn https://hamishcampbell.com/tag/techchurn/ feels productive while producing very little social change. Communities don’t become stronger by constantly relocating, the openweb https://hamishcampbell.com/tag/openweb/ needs the same attitude to build slowly, maintain carefully, document openly. Value continuity over novelty as the future isn’t another platform, it’s resilient communities using technology they understand, control and can pass on. That’s the opposite of techchurn https://hamishcampbell.com/tag/techchurn/ and how we build commons. OMN https://hamishcampbell.com/tag/omn/ 4opens https://hamishcampbell.com/tag/4opens/ openweb https://hamishcampbell.com/tag/openweb/ KISS https://hamishcampbell.com/tag/kiss/ commons https://hamishcampbell.com/tag/commons/ DIY https://hamishcampbell.com/tag/diy/ MakingHistory https://hamishcampbell.com/tag/makinghistory/