Hoy por Hoy | La mirada
Guest: Najat El Hachmi
Host: Àngels Barceló
Date: November 6, 2025
Episode Theme: Technology—Freedom or New Enslavement?
Main Theme Overview
In this thought-provoking segment of "La mirada," Najat El Hachmi delivers a powerful reflection on the promises and perils of modern technology. While technology was once hailed as a liberator, Najat warns it now serves as a tool of exploitation and dehumanization, especially within the labor market. Her monologue questions the direction of progress driven by automation and corporate power, urging listeners to critically assess what is lost when convenience takes precedence over human values.
Key Points and Insights
1. The Paradox of Technological Progress
- Najat begins by recalling how technology was promoted as a tool for liberation, making daily life easier.
- She sharply contrasts this view, asserting that technology has instead “enslaved” us in new ways.
- “La tecnología nos haría libres... ha venido a esclavizarnos, haciendo posible que seamos explotados en esferas antes inimaginables.” [00:12]
2. Surveillance and the Power of Corporations
- She highlights how major tech companies now possess more data and know more about individuals than their own families or neighbors.
- This data-driven dominance marks a shift from mere mechanization to a deep, personal exploitation.
3. The Devaluation of Human Labor
- Najat situates the current moment as the culmination of a process that began with the Industrial Revolution—mechanization leading to worker obsolescence.
- She warns of the “annihilation” of workers, not just in the sense of job loss, but in the existential negation of people deemed unnecessary by technological progress.
- “No era más que cuestión de tiempo que acabáramos en lo que vemos venir ahora, en la aniquilación misma de los trabajadores que ya no hacen falta.” [00:28]
4. The Lure of Convenience vs. Local Community
- She critiques the collective surrender to convenience—shifting from “slow, local commerce” to the immediacy of platforms like Amazon.
- This comes at a high social cost: impersonal mass layoffs, erosion of local economies, and increasing social atomization.
- “Nos agarraron por la comodidad cuando dejamos de lado el pesado y lento comercio de proximidad para caer en la inmediatez de un Amazon que ahora va a despedir en masa a decenas de miles.” [00:41]
5. The Myth of Inevitable Progress
- Najat challenges the framing of automation and job cuts as “inevitable” progress, pointing out that many tech corporations are more profitable than ever.
- Their relentless pursuit of profit, she suggests, dehumanizes society and prioritizes money over people.
- “No es que se haga en aras de unas pérdidas empresariales... muchas de esas compañías crecen hoy más que nunca. Tienen unos beneficios tan ingentes que bien merecerían una revolución. Pero no les basta. Quieren más y más, porque las personas no importan, solo el dinero.” [01:02]
Notable Quotes
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"Nos dijeron que la tecnología nos haría libres... ha venido a esclavizarnos, haciendo posible que seamos explotados en esferas antes inimaginables." — Najat El Hachmi [00:12]
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“No era más que cuestión de tiempo que acabáramos en lo que vemos venir ahora, en la aniquilación misma de los trabajadores que ya no hacen falta de momento, esa aniquilación.” — Najat El Hachmi [00:28]
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“Nos agarraron por la comodidad cuando dejamos de lado el pesado y lento comercio de proximidad para caer en la inmediatez de un Amazon que ahora va a despedir en masa a decenas de miles.” — Najat El Hachmi [00:41]
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“Tienen unos beneficios tan ingentes que bien merecerían una revolución. Pero no les basta. Quieren más y más, porque las personas no importan, solo el dinero.” — Najat El Hachmi [01:10]
Memorable Moments
- Opening Provocation [00:08–00:20]: Najat’s bold statement about the reversal of technology’s promise, setting the critical tone for the reflection.
- Amazon Layoff Example [00:41]: The mention of Amazon’s mass layoffs personalizes and grounds the critique in a real-world context.
- Call for Critical Engagement: By pointing to the possibility of a revolution sparked by vast profits amid layoffs, Najat invites the audience to question the justice of the current system.
Timestamps for Important Segments
- 00:08–00:20 – Introduction to the paradox of technology as liberation vs. enslavement
- 00:28–00:40 – Evolution from industrial mechanization to present-day worker “annihilation”
- 00:41–01:01 – Societal shift from local commerce to global platforms, illustrated by Amazon
- 01:02–01:20 – Critique of corporate profit-driven logic and devaluation of people
Tone and Language
Najat El Hachmi’s commentary is incisive, urgent, and reflective, combining sociological analysis with a passionate critique. Her words oscillate between irony and earnest concern, making her message both accessible and deeply unsettling.
Conclusion
Through her “mirada” in this episode, Najat El Hachmi offers a sobering, critical perspective on the promises of technological progress. She urges listeners to remain vigilant about who truly benefits from innovation—and who gets left behind—framing the ongoing transformations as a moral and social challenge rather than an inevitable march of history.
