Technology in a Global Society
Social Media Tools
Social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram enable people
to connect and exchange ideas. These platforms also bring together people
facing similar problems to fight for social change. For example, the Twitter
hashtag #MeToo began as a way of supporting women facing sexual
harassment and assault but evolved to galvanize an international movement.
A simple hashtag brought to light an important social issue and was a key
means for revealing how widespread the problem was. How we conduct
informed discussion in the age of social media is still developing, however.
Bot accounts, automated programs retweeting news stories and quotes,
have been used to create discord around controversial topics in many
countries—enflaming the gun control debate in the United States or fanning
prejudice into violence in Sri Lanka. For these and other reasons, knowing
how to use and critically evaluate social media is an important skill needed
by all.
Crisis-Mapping Tool
Another example of the interaction of technology and society is the software
tool Ushahidi. Following a disputed election in Kenya, violence broke out all
over the country. Nairobi lawyer Ory Okolloh tried to get word of the violence
out to the world through her blog, but she couldn’t keep up with the volume
of reports. However, two programmers saw her request for help and in a few
days created Ushahidi. It is a crisis-mapping tool that collects information
from -mails, text messages, blog posts, and tweets and then maps them,
instantly making the information publicly available. The developers then
made Ushahidi a free platform anyone in the world can use. It has since been
used in several international disasters. In what other ways may technology
help us face times of crisis?
Global Issues
Health Care
Infectious diseases account for about one-fifth of all deaths worldwide.
Researchers say the odds of a flu pandemic occurring in the next century are
nearly 100%. Could technology help us develop and deliver vaccines to save
,lives? Using scientific visualization tools, scientists are developing antibodies
for flu viruses and even HIV, viruses that are difficult to target because they
continually change shape. Computationally intense modeling software is
helping researchers increase the pace of vaccine production. As we learn
more about the terrible consequences of concussion injuries, technology is
playing a part in providing a solution. Researchers now know that even
without an actual concussion, athletes can sustain serious damage from
repeated impacts of their brain against the skull. Computer programs have
collected sensor data from impacts on the field, which scientists have
analyzed and used to create a new kind of helmet. College programs and the
NFL now use enhanced helmets, designed to better distribute the impact of
collisions.
The Environment
What if every cell phone in the world had built-in atmospheric sensors? Then
millions of points of data measuring air and water quality from around the
world could be acquired. The data could be tagged with geographical
information, alerting scientists to new trends in our environment. Ideas like
these are being explored by researchers around the world. Smart Internet-
connected water sprinklers are another technology that is already saving
water in California and other dry areas of the country. The sprinkler system
checks the weather forecast so it won’t use water when rain is coming the
next day. The system is showing a 30% reduction in water usage.
The Digital Divide
There is a serious gap in the levels of Internet access and the availability of
technical tools in different regions of the world. The term for this difference
in access to technology is the digital divide. One danger of a digital divide is
that it prevents us from using all the minds on the planet to solve global
problems. But this challenge created by technology is also being answered
by it. The Next Einstein Initiative (NEI) is a plan to focus resources on the
talented mathematical minds of Africa (see Figure 1.3). Cambridge professor
Neil Turok founded the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) to
bring together the brightest young minds across Africa with the best
lecturers in the world. By capturing the enthusiasm of the world with
presentations distributed through TED (ted.com) and Google’s Project 10100,
there is now a push to create additional AIMS centers across Africa.
, Person/ Global Technology Action
Organization Problem Used
Start Network Corruption Blockchain, a Blockchain
digitized public technology
ledger for can help track
recording a humanitarian
series of aid funds as
transactions they flow
from donors
to
recipients.
SolaRoad/ The need for a Solar cells Solar cells are
Netherlands renewable, integrated into
nonpolluting the asphalt
energy roadway. They
resource collect solar
energy and
distribute
electricity all
day.
United Nations Issues of GIS The WFP can
World Food hunger for (geographical analyze the
Programme 1 in 7 of the information location and
(WFP) world’s systems) and need for food,
population mobile devices positioning it
where it will
help the most.
Gates The threat Mobile apps, Worldwide
Foundation of global data analytics, organizations
pandemic and enhanced like the Gates
disease, like global Foundation are
Ebola, or communication taking steps to
weaponized s build better
biological networks to
warfare detect
outbreaks and
deliver
vaccines.
Technology Impacts How and Why We Connect and
Collaborate
Social Media Tools
Social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram enable people
to connect and exchange ideas. These platforms also bring together people
facing similar problems to fight for social change. For example, the Twitter
hashtag #MeToo began as a way of supporting women facing sexual
harassment and assault but evolved to galvanize an international movement.
A simple hashtag brought to light an important social issue and was a key
means for revealing how widespread the problem was. How we conduct
informed discussion in the age of social media is still developing, however.
Bot accounts, automated programs retweeting news stories and quotes,
have been used to create discord around controversial topics in many
countries—enflaming the gun control debate in the United States or fanning
prejudice into violence in Sri Lanka. For these and other reasons, knowing
how to use and critically evaluate social media is an important skill needed
by all.
Crisis-Mapping Tool
Another example of the interaction of technology and society is the software
tool Ushahidi. Following a disputed election in Kenya, violence broke out all
over the country. Nairobi lawyer Ory Okolloh tried to get word of the violence
out to the world through her blog, but she couldn’t keep up with the volume
of reports. However, two programmers saw her request for help and in a few
days created Ushahidi. It is a crisis-mapping tool that collects information
from -mails, text messages, blog posts, and tweets and then maps them,
instantly making the information publicly available. The developers then
made Ushahidi a free platform anyone in the world can use. It has since been
used in several international disasters. In what other ways may technology
help us face times of crisis?
Global Issues
Health Care
Infectious diseases account for about one-fifth of all deaths worldwide.
Researchers say the odds of a flu pandemic occurring in the next century are
nearly 100%. Could technology help us develop and deliver vaccines to save
,lives? Using scientific visualization tools, scientists are developing antibodies
for flu viruses and even HIV, viruses that are difficult to target because they
continually change shape. Computationally intense modeling software is
helping researchers increase the pace of vaccine production. As we learn
more about the terrible consequences of concussion injuries, technology is
playing a part in providing a solution. Researchers now know that even
without an actual concussion, athletes can sustain serious damage from
repeated impacts of their brain against the skull. Computer programs have
collected sensor data from impacts on the field, which scientists have
analyzed and used to create a new kind of helmet. College programs and the
NFL now use enhanced helmets, designed to better distribute the impact of
collisions.
The Environment
What if every cell phone in the world had built-in atmospheric sensors? Then
millions of points of data measuring air and water quality from around the
world could be acquired. The data could be tagged with geographical
information, alerting scientists to new trends in our environment. Ideas like
these are being explored by researchers around the world. Smart Internet-
connected water sprinklers are another technology that is already saving
water in California and other dry areas of the country. The sprinkler system
checks the weather forecast so it won’t use water when rain is coming the
next day. The system is showing a 30% reduction in water usage.
The Digital Divide
There is a serious gap in the levels of Internet access and the availability of
technical tools in different regions of the world. The term for this difference
in access to technology is the digital divide. One danger of a digital divide is
that it prevents us from using all the minds on the planet to solve global
problems. But this challenge created by technology is also being answered
by it. The Next Einstein Initiative (NEI) is a plan to focus resources on the
talented mathematical minds of Africa (see Figure 1.3). Cambridge professor
Neil Turok founded the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) to
bring together the brightest young minds across Africa with the best
lecturers in the world. By capturing the enthusiasm of the world with
presentations distributed through TED (ted.com) and Google’s Project 10100,
there is now a push to create additional AIMS centers across Africa.
, Person/ Global Technology Action
Organization Problem Used
Start Network Corruption Blockchain, a Blockchain
digitized public technology
ledger for can help track
recording a humanitarian
series of aid funds as
transactions they flow
from donors
to
recipients.
SolaRoad/ The need for a Solar cells Solar cells are
Netherlands renewable, integrated into
nonpolluting the asphalt
energy roadway. They
resource collect solar
energy and
distribute
electricity all
day.
United Nations Issues of GIS The WFP can
World Food hunger for (geographical analyze the
Programme 1 in 7 of the information location and
(WFP) world’s systems) and need for food,
population mobile devices positioning it
where it will
help the most.
Gates The threat Mobile apps, Worldwide
Foundation of global data analytics, organizations
pandemic and enhanced like the Gates
disease, like global Foundation are
Ebola, or communication taking steps to
weaponized s build better
biological networks to
warfare detect
outbreaks and
deliver
vaccines.
Technology Impacts How and Why We Connect and
Collaborate
