The techno-utopianism of Silicon Valley constitutes a quasi-religious ideology with economic and moral dimensions. While the ‘catechism’ of free market ideology has long historical roots, digital culture adds a moral dimension that equates the development of networked information systems with the achievement of human virtue. This article calls such assumptions into question by positing three guiding ‘proverbs’: Information is not wisdom; Convergence is not integrity; Transparency is not authenticity. Exposition of these proverbs highlights inequities of power and class privilege obscured by techno-utopian rhetoric, and calls for an approach to technological development grounded in the psychology of mature human spirituality.
