The Tech That Comes Next

Chapter FourChanging Technology Development Inside and for Social Impact

Technological development truly changes how people live and interact with the world. With advancements over the past decade, people can imagine sending themselves into space, learn to dance from nimble robots, and order whatever they want via the latest phone app. As the creators of these programs and devices, technologists “determine what can be improved in their industry and how to incorporate new technology, find new ways to resolve problems, and further develop various processes.”¹ Given this high standard and supposedly universal expertise, many people expect technologists to quickly enter the social impact space and create inventions that “single‐handedly” feed the hungry around the world, solve climate change, and improve access to and outcomes from education—and then spontaneously dream up the next invention.

This, of course, is not how things work. The social impact sector tackles challenges based on systemic inequity and injustice, problems that can't be solved with a simple invention. There must be a recognition that the big technological solution is in fact a combination of many small solutions. Also, the expertise technologists bring can help create a new and better world, but only if the technology is appropriately designed in the context of local communities and with deep understanding of the multifaceted elements in play, such as the root causes of the problems, interventions that can make ...