Many people use technology to communicate with their friends and love ones but never give a thought to how technology has improved their lives. Technology surrounds us every day, the grocery store is dripping in technology, the buses run on computers, and even the dentist uses digital cameras and computer imaging systems instead of x-rays. While we live our lives surrounded with technology, have you ever stopped to consider how society can be changed through technology?
The internet opened up forms of communication that we never thought were possible before. Today we have hundreds of social news sites where individuals can write and post news reports pertaining to the world around them. People can also comment and respond to ideas through forums and commenting systems which means we can share ideas and knowledge with anyone in the world at any time. Imagine if we created a forum where this open communication path was used to create social policy and laws? No longer would social policy be created by the elite few who find themselves governing others but by the masses.
Open source software allows many people to provide their own input and knowledge towards the creation of useable software. There are still many societies where the exchange of ideas is not open or acceptable. We should bring open source software to these societies and help to teach that sharing ideas and knowledge with others can be a profitable endeavor for everyone. We can also take the ideas of working together to create other open source projects. Using the ideas of open source will increase the eduction level of people around the world, teachers can and are releasing their lessons and knowledge the world through the internet. Children who live their whole lives without access to teachers can now learn by listening to audio recordings or watching a television show.
Many employers area already using video technology to connect their office locations together and avoid large travel expenses. What if we connected employers with possible employees around the world through video communication? Technology could help raise the level of earnings for many people who barely make enough money to survive. A new form of work would be created through the use of video communication. Some workplaces already communicate mainly through email, why not expand this idea and hire the most qualified person no matter where they are located in the world.
Another method of sharing has been created through creative commons. We can improve society by releasing all forms of art under the creative commons licensing structure. Allowing other people to spread our art and use as they see fit can help spread the ideas behind our creations and challenge others to create as well. Time and time again society has been changed by the artistes within and today we have the ability to spread art to every corner of the world by using the internet and technology. Of course, all of our ideas towards using technology and the internet to improve society can only succeed if we have net neutrality. Individuals need to be able to choose what they access on the internet without the interference from an internet provider or their government.
The ability to share knowledge and information with anyone in the world through the internet is one of the best ways we can improve society. However, without a computer hardware infrastructure the internet is nothing but a communication idea. The One Laptop Per Child Initiative (OLPC for short) is a great example of how we can get computers into the hands of people who need them. Computers do not need to be top-of-the-line gaming computers designed to produce high end 3D graphics. We can provide low cost equipment to people who have never owned a computer before. These low end computers are able to connect to the internet and therefore connect to the world.
With an OLPC style computer and a webcam, individuals will be able to document the horrors inflicted on people in third world countries and post the information to the internet for all to see. No longer will one man or one government be able to hide behind their silence and abuse people in their countries. When a society is under siege by a despot, the truth can become societies best weapon. That truth can be recorded on computers and posted to the internet. Even if we can not get a computer in to the hands of every person in the world, there are other technologies that work just as well. Digital cameras can store thousands of pictures on a chip smaller than a postage stamp. If we arm people around the world with cameras we can still communicate and learn through the photos.
Cell phones are also a great technology that will help to improve the lives of people around the world. Even something as simple as a voice conversation can change a person’s life. If all you have is a cell phone that makes voice calls, you could connect to voice recognition software and communicate with the world. People could use cell phones to listen to educational recordings and expand their knowledge. We could teach people new skills and give them training all through a cell phone conversation.
Finally, advanced in manufacturing technology should be shared with all the countries of the world to help improve not only society but the environment as well. By training people on high speed manufacturing processes we can improve the working conditions of millions of people around the world. Clothing manufacturing will not longer need to be completed through sweatshop practices instead high-tech cloth cutters and sewing machines could be used.
Many times technology surrounds us and we fail to notice how our lives are improved. We have become so immune to how improved our lives are because of technology that we often fail to see that there are other people who need assistance. We need to spread our technology to all countries of the world and help to improve their societies as well.
