Professor Kentaro Toyama, from the University of Michigan’s School of Information, has thrown the cat amongst the pigeons in his book, Geek Heresy — by questioning the role of technology in creating social change.
Amidst voices, world over, celebrating the power of technology, Toyama lays down eloquently his bone of contention that technology merely amplifies the human condition. This comes from the man who worked for over half a decade in India, spearheading Microsoft’s Research India project where he tracked the role of technology in addressing social issues.
In the sphere of education, which several innovators feel is the area where technology can most have an impact, Professor Toyama’s research has revealed that the benefit of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Course) –- the much celebrated leveler of education –- has been reaped most by students and professionals. People outside the formal education system, unfortunately, have barely benefited from this and hence its purpose of providing access to quality education has not been fulfilled. Much against popular notion, he believes that technology is a discriminator and amplifies benefits to society’s privileged sect.
In his experience in India, he talks about how technology has de fragmented corruption, where previously several palms needed to be greased, the count was down to one. His contention is that the only way to address social issues is by addressing it from a human angle. It is only when human behaviour, incentives and patterns are changed, will technology be able to play its true role.
It’s interesting to note that Professor Toyama began as a computer science grad, and his change of stance is a result of his extensive field work in India. And while he does not deny the power of technology, he strongly contends that as a society we need to resolve human issues by behavioural interventions rather than tech-based solutions — which is a much larger debate.
— rohanjaikishen@gmail.com