TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT“In 60 seconds, more than 100 hours of film are uploaded to YouTube, nearly 350,000 messages are sent on Twitter, a quarter of a million photos uploaded don to Facebook and more than 3 million items are shared by its users”. Groups such as ISIS and Boko Haram are offering master classes in how to use social media and technology to advance their objectives.
The entire world struggles to understand and keep pace with such an appeal by extremist groups. The world has experienced far-reaching impact of various technological tools. Technology is an enabler for human development and at the same time, in wrong hands, it can inflict massive destruction onto communities/countries. “Many young people are adept at consuming technology but fewer understand its real power and impact”.
Social media can also be an extremely powerful means to inform and mobilize communities. Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines showed for instance how social media could be used effectively to mobilize support, and improve the transparency of aid. How can philanthropy investments in social media and new technologies become a more significant force for good? |
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KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Philanthropy is becoming part of the business model rather than on the fringe
- Frontier philanthropists should be at the center of the discussions on development
- Philanthropy should fight against silos and barriers
- There is a need to focus on sustainability, deal with root causes instead of purely remedial initiatives
- Private philanthropy should take greater interest in policy
- ERFIP could be a unique forum to allow frontier philanthropists to interface with institutional actors
The session on technology and its power of creating good was led by tech-entrepreneurs and investors in technology platforms: Tabreez Verjee from California, Keyur Patel from India and Sach Chandaria from Kenya/ Switzerland.
Inadvertently, technology has changed the nature of human interactions in every sphere of life, says Sach Chandaria. As an example, he explored the relationship between access to education and technology. According to him, an increasing number of technological platforms are being used as tools to make education accessible. However, in hype of technological platforms for education, we are overlooking a key component that is appropriate content. What good is technology if the content is garbage?
Tabreez Verjee, a serial investor in supporting mission-driven technologies, discussed the impact of various platforms on empowering poor communities through financial inclusion. We can harness power of technology to achieve inclusive growth and sustainable through financial inclusion by providing financial services to those who are considered unbankable. Kiva is one such organization that uses mobile technologies and the internet to connect borrowers and lenders for micro loans.
Another example of powerful, positive narration is ‘Upworthy’, a website that shares inspiring stories and initiatives that are in sharp contrast to the prevailing pessimism and sensationalism of the mainstream press.
The session illustrated that there is no technological solution per se to counter extremism. Antidotes include more focus on creative and relevant content and a strict adherence to good information, educating the public, and, perhaps most importantly, building a compelling counter-narrative. It is essential to equip political and civil society leaders with the resources to create these counter-narratives, for instance by organizing media bootcamps as was recently the case in Senegal. Venture capital philanthropy can also play a role in addressing the urgent need for counter-narratives.
Inadvertently, technology has changed the nature of human interactions in every sphere of life, says Sach Chandaria. As an example, he explored the relationship between access to education and technology. According to him, an increasing number of technological platforms are being used as tools to make education accessible. However, in hype of technological platforms for education, we are overlooking a key component that is appropriate content. What good is technology if the content is garbage?
Tabreez Verjee, a serial investor in supporting mission-driven technologies, discussed the impact of various platforms on empowering poor communities through financial inclusion. We can harness power of technology to achieve inclusive growth and sustainable through financial inclusion by providing financial services to those who are considered unbankable. Kiva is one such organization that uses mobile technologies and the internet to connect borrowers and lenders for micro loans.
Another example of powerful, positive narration is ‘Upworthy’, a website that shares inspiring stories and initiatives that are in sharp contrast to the prevailing pessimism and sensationalism of the mainstream press.
The session illustrated that there is no technological solution per se to counter extremism. Antidotes include more focus on creative and relevant content and a strict adherence to good information, educating the public, and, perhaps most importantly, building a compelling counter-narrative. It is essential to equip political and civil society leaders with the resources to create these counter-narratives, for instance by organizing media bootcamps as was recently the case in Senegal. Venture capital philanthropy can also play a role in addressing the urgent need for counter-narratives.