I want to check that out. I read a little too much Neil Postman (Technopoly) and Jerry Mander (In The Absence of the Sacred) a little too early in life and it perhaps prematurely cemented arguments similar to what you describe above. Its absolutely an ongoing and evolving conflict, and not symmetric in means or outcomes.
I’m re-reading “When the Ass saw the Angel” by Nick Cave. Zero design content but very entertaining.
We spent Thanksgiving week in New Canaan, CT, home to the ‘Harvard Five’ midcentury architects. Unfortunately most of the architecture in the town is typical New England, but there are a few authentic gems and a few modern multi-million $ homes too. Our hosts had the book ‘The Harvard Five in New Canaan’ which told the story of how these architects found each other and the town. They were all young working architects, trying to go it alone, hanging out for dinner parties and talking about work. Imagine a dinner party with Eliot Noyes, John Johansen, and Marcel Breuer all sitting around talking shop.