Speaking about nostalgia, my reel feeds of both YouTube and Instagram are tightly attuned to my preferences. It was no surprise I got a reel with a fragment of the 1999 Newsnight interview with David Bowie by Jeremy Paxman, about the rise of the internet and its impact on society. It urged me to look up the interview, and lo and behold, the integral interview is available on YouTube.
In this interview, David Bowie reflects on his theatrical evolution as an artist and argues that the internet (being chaotic, rebellious, and decentralized) has become the new cultural force once held by rock and roll. He predicted a transformative impact on society, the arts, and the relationship between creators and audiences, poised to reshape how we live and communicate.
At one point in the interview, David Bowie states: “I don’t think we’ve even seen the tip of the iceberg. I think the potential of what the internet is going to do to society, both good and bad, is unimaginable. I think we’re actually on the cusp of something exhilarating and terrifying.”
The sceptic
Paxman responds, “It’s just a tool though, isn’t it?”
Having lived through the late 1990s and early 2000s and experiencing the rise of the internet and the tremendous impact it had, this response feels, in hindsight, like a giant underestimation of the impact of the internet.
“No,” Bowie responds, almost prophetically, “No, it’s an alien lifeform.”
If I look at my career, the majority of workplaces I was in would not exist without the internet. Everything that I was a part of, whether it was a viral marketing Flash game, a set of animated banners for an online campaign, or a corporate website, would not be possible without the internet. The impact it had on our workforce, education, and way of life was truly revolutionary.
Every technological change, iteration, evolution, and revolution is accompanied by its prophets, critics, adopters, winners, and victims. The evolution of technology alters our methods of creation, existence, and communication. As opportunities rise, so do the dangers. To me, it almost seems like a dance. We push and pull, amend, twist, and step forward and back. And when a new song comes on, we do yet another dance.
Paxman’s response in the David Bowie interview echoes a recurring skepticism that overlooks how media and technology redefine relationships, economies, and identities. Whether it’s the printing press, the telegraph, the radio, television, or the internet, new technology is often dismissed at first as “just a tool.” Skeptics tend to focus on existing paradigms, underestimating how new technologies rewill reshape human behaviour and culture.
Historian Marshall McLuhan famously argued, “The medium is the message”. The form of a medium reshapes society more profoundly than the content it carries.
The bandwagon
Businesses can succeed or fail based on their ability to collaborate. We would rather not underestimate technology. Falling behind could mean a disadvantage or even loss of business. Because of this, businesses play a significant role in driving the adoption and evolution of technology, primarily due to their desire to keep up with the times and jump on the bandwagon.
I remember the CEO of the first company I worked at after my graduation, fresh out of the dotcom bubble, who hoarded numerous website domains. I remember countless customers wishing to develop a mobile application for each task. We all ran with new technology, gambled, and improvised with it. All the while reading a few articles on best practices. And then we tried some more.
It’s not uncommon in 2025 to hear on the work floor that artificial intelligence is the next big leap in technology, and it “needs to be implemented,” one way or another. And they are not entirely wrong, the potential of this technology could be as impactful as the revolutions that came before it.
But that is the trap, is it not? The same reflex that leads some to dismiss a transformative force as ‘just a tool’ is the same reflex that leads others to chase it blindly.
Throughout my career, I have seen both. On one end: the doubters, the late adopters, and the people who could not imagine why anyone would want a website, or, heaven forbid, a blog. On the other end: the techno-evangelists. “We need a website!” they cried. Later: “We need a mobile app!” Then: “Blockchain!” And now, predictably: “AI. We need to do something with AI.”
“Trust me. AI is in. AI is hot. I want some AI. AI it’s gonna be.”
It doesn’t matter what the purpose is. It doesn’t matter for whom it is used. Never mind what problem it solves. Such an approach is not so much strategy as it is superstition. The belief that employing a tool, any tool, will inexplicably bring about relevance or innovation is a common misconception. That if we sprinkle enough technology on top, success will follow. The tool itself appears to be the ultimate objective. It is not. It never was.
(Come to think of it, there was a time when ‘agile’ was the magic cure for everything.)
Just as it is dangerous to ignore new technology, it is equally dangerous to fetishize it. New tools do not carry purpose within them. We project our desires onto them. We imagine they will save us time, or boost our status, or impress the boardroom. Without a real need, a real problem, or a real reason, even the most sophisticated tools become mere busywork with a user experience layer.
Treating technology with the complexity it deserves
Bowie warned us, in his beautifully theatrical way, that the internet would change everything. He was right. Similarly, the people discussing artificial intelligence today are also correct. But being right about the impact does not mean we know what to do with it. And it certainly does not mean we should implement it just to tick a box.
I have nothing against trying things out. I love experimentation, iteration, and play. But I believe in doing it with open eyes. Not with blind faith. Not with corporate FOMO. Not because some executive read one article on LinkedIn and now wants “AI on the roadmap” like it is a topping on a pizza.
Maybe the point is this. We owe it to ourselves, and to each other, to treat technology with the complexity it deserves. We should not view technology as a magic or a threat, but rather as an integral part of the continuous dialogue between our identity and our creations.
Yes, the internet changed everything. Yes, AI will too. However, the greatest mistake we can make is reducing something so world-altering to merely ‘just a tool’ or elevating it to saviour status. The reality is more nuanced. Like all useful tools, it matters how we use it. But it also matters what it does to us.
So where does that leave us?
Somewhere in the middle of the wave, I guess?
We are not at the start anymore. Not with AI, not with the internet, not with most of the tools reshaping our lives. But we are certainly not at the end either. There will be more waves. More headlines. More hype. More hesitation. More ground-shifting changes.
I find myself hoping for clarity, not the kind that comes from knowing exactly what to do, but the kind that keeps me from getting swept away or digging my heels in. I want to stay curious without becoming naive. And stay cautious without becoming cynical. Because no, it is not just a tool. And no, it is not only the future. It exists in a transitional space. We are somewhere, to quote David Bowie from the interview, “exhilarating and terrifying.”