Can technology help us to create inclusive economic prosperity and happiness?
A few weeks back, talking tech with a fellow CSO, the question was asked...did any of this actually make our lives actually better, or did it just distract us from what really matters? Were we happier? Was technology just fueling our next dopamine hit?
To be honest, I had to ponder this.
Many of my favourite tech-based solutions make me happy because they take away something that was a problem or a pain point.
AirBnB - gave me family-friendly houses for amazing holidays anywhere in the world. Without it, I was stuck with expensive hotel bills or worse no holiday.
Uber -gave me a trusted global platform to get me anywhere I wanted to go (and out again). Without it, I was stuck waiting on the side of the road, not knowing where the taxi was or if it was actually coming.
Yet, these feel like almost trivial examples when we think about the real challenges around the world of poverty, pollution, and biodiversity loss.
Technology has given us the 24/7 economy, with many of us accessible all the time. With never a moments peace, to reflect, be bored and feel the warm breeze wash over us we are seeing our children affected like never before by this access to be accessed.
The rise in technological advances has also not correlated with equality. According to the World Inequality 2018 Report, the gap between the rich and the poor in almost every region in the world over the last four decades has increased.
Can technology help us create inclusive economic prosperity and happiness and how will we measure this?
As Robert F. Kennedy famously said GDP "measures everything, in short, except that makes life worthwhile"
So this morning, as part of my academic studies I have been exploring research done by The Happiness Research Institute to find some answers.
https://www.happinessresearchinstitute.com/copy-of-publications-1
In the US despite rising GNP, life satisfaction has remained constant and with social media use at its highest ever, social trust is in fact in decline.
Do you know of any tech solutions that have created inclusive economic prosperity and happiness?... please share if you do.
Enabling meaningful change in Aotearoa and internationally. ?????? Sense-maker | writer | people connector
4 年You might be interested in this tech by New Zealander Vinny Lohan:?https://onebeep.org/ :)
CEO and Founder @ Circularity | Circular Economy and Design Thinking
4 年I agree Claire. The connecting utility to past present and future relationships is really amazing.
MBA | Kaiwhakahaere Hangarau : Tech Mgr | Advocate for Women & Non-Binary in STEM | She/Her
4 年Louise Nash , I agree with Tim Parsons too about how tech makes knowledge access easier. For me tech has made connections to others easier and more enjoyable; both to the living and the 'dead'. I know that connecting with the dead sounds weird, but finding the stories about my ancestors is really important to me and to have the likes of Ancestry app in my pocket actually makes me happier. It's also important that I have a method of connecting to new people which isn't just at a networking event. For the introvert inside me, tech like LinkedIn provide me with a non stressful, enjoyable way to connect.
CEO and Founder @ Circularity | Circular Economy and Design Thinking
4 年Thank you for thoughts. Really Interesting!
Wayfinder - being me and creating possibilities
4 年I love this patai (question)!!! At one point in my professional life I lead the integration of ICT within schools and classrooms across the Bay. It was then very exciting times, and challenging for teachers. The C part was where the magic came for me - communication and I believed it also stood for connection, both interpersonal and intrapersonal. While the pace of advancing technology I believe connection is what it provides that really depends on the user. Blending technologies from the past with the present seems to bridge a level of joy and fascination which can offer some happiness. Now my daughters are at primary school immersed in using technology and live coming home to climb trees, slide down hills, care for bunnies, frolick in the waves with friends and disappear into the Bush. They are happy little creatures and I think their ability to connect with others, themselves, the whenua and animals brings about prosperity and happiness in their lives, and mine. Understanding the technology within us must surely be the next major resource that will contribute greatly to humanity. Our indigenous peoples are at the forefront of this. Thank your for this article!