Computers Promised to Free Us. What Happened?
This article reflects on the 1984 Apple Macintosh advertisement to explore how the initial promise of personal computing as a tool for liberation has evolved. It questions whether the digital age has truly fulfilled its goal of individual freedom or if it has led to new forms of control.
Why it matters
It provides a historical critique of the tech industry's impact on society, contextualizing modern concerns about digital surveillance and corporate power.
Technology was once seen as countercultural.
Illustration by Matteo Giuseppe Pani / The Atlantic September 3, 2026, 4:41 PM ET Share Save This is an edition of Time-Travel Thursdays, a journey through The Atlantic ’s archives to contextualize the present. Sign up here.
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