When discussing the predicament of Silispeak, partializing the problem is the only path to progress. In other, non-alliterative words, Silispeak is such an encompassing issue that we have to minimize our scope to have a meaningful conversation. So in this observational essay, we’ll limit our discussion to the results of believing the promises made by our influential Silispeak operators.

The first thing we should all be aware of is that the general public has totally accepted the Silispeak narrative. Which means those of us who refuse to be convinced are labeled as blasphemous Luddites. And while this may not seem alarming, our default response to new (largely useless) technology, being an excited embrace means that we have, in effect destroyed our ability to consider if the thing on offer will actually do us any good.

Taken a step further, not being convinced that the newest phone, car, computer, fridge, or digital platform will actually make a significant impact seems to most people a bit odd. It’s now weird to consider the motives of technology companies as self-interested or to even question their motives at all. Those who refuse the latest tech gadget are weird. Those who limit their screen-time are few in number. Those who prefer physical media are “living in the past.” The Silispeak narrative has been fully adopted and anything that seems to point to the contrary is ridiculed.

But the most dubious impact of Silispeak escapes sidelong glances and rude whispers. The most damaging aspect of talking Sili is that it leads to a self-proliferating cycle wherein truth is a result of belief as opposed to observable merit. If the claims of Silispeak operators were true regardless of if we believed them, they wouldn’t need to be so ardent in their convincing, they wouldn’t have needed to invent Silispeak at all! Medical breakthroughs, engineering advancements, deeper understanding of physics and the universe all remain to be true and helpful despite there being a stark lack of mainstream chauvinistic heraldry surrounding their discovery.

Silispeak innovation requires that we all “buy into” the narrative for it to be true. “Yes XYZ artifact made by XYZ corporation is good” and that shared rhetoric becomes truth. Why do we need an app for this or a new sleek widget for that? Was the old way truly broken, was the manual way actually all that inconvenient? Accepting the message of Silispeak eventually results in the total inability to deny it. Blindly following the path laid out by tech giants diminishes our ability to discern for ourselves the implications of using the newest thing they are rolling out.

Thankfully, we need not consume the message spouting from the Sili. We don’t have to believe there claims or act on their offers. We can ignore them, and see for ourselves how good they are at shouting into the void.