Just about anyone in a technology field will tell you that the rate of developments in innovation in this industry is unbelievably rapid. What used to be science fiction is now here, where you can step into a whole new world through virtual reality, interact with a computer just as you would another human with artificial intelligence, reach new speeds of computing power using quantum computers, architect entire systems of information with the help of data centers that make up the cloud, and the list goes on.
With all of this, one may wonder if technology has any limits. There may be limitations of compatibility when designing solutions that require combining technologies or perhaps using a certain technology beyond its designed purpose. But we as technologists, has always been able to find ways to develop our own tools or modify and improve equipment in a way that contributes to the industry and communities which lead to exponential growth and expansion. This is a cycle, where we are drawn to hottest and newest tech available until it slowly gets over run by another which is known to be observed and studied in human nature.
In short, technology for now is seen as limitless by many as there are always solutions to be made with the building blocks available to us. Each of us share a trait in us that pushes the technology we use to its limit, but technology as a field, community and industry will remain limitless. There are also plenty of opportunities for anyone interested that also hold great benefits it will all just depend on what specific technology you would like to work on first. So to anyone with dreams of wanting to experience something unheard of, get started with curiosity and imagination as you look around and see that technology is all around us. Learn the building blocks of tech, join a community and contribute to the field and you will be able to see and test for yourself just why technology is limitless.
Also, technology is all about helping people. However, technology development is not driven to maximize all of society's goals. Applications that make money get built, while applications that don't make money don't get built. Bridging the gap between the possible and the profitable in socially beneficial applications of technology is critical, and it's an important effort that requires the attention of the technology community.
The social sector needs more technology tools, and the barriers to using technology in this sector are shrinking daily. Market failure is not the final word: just because something isn't financially lucrative is no reason not to do it. Technology is quite easy to replicate cheaply: that's why software companies are often so profitable. This same leverage can be put to use in social applications of technology. The need is acute for nimble social entrepreneurs to bridge these gaps: between possibility and profitability, between business and government, and between technologists and disadvantaged communities.
The opportunities are many and the needs are great. Technologists love to solve problems; it's what they do best. We need to provide new models for how to accomplish great things with technology. How many innovators have placed their ideas back on the shelf when it became apparent that their great social idea was not a great business idea?
Technology has generated tremendous wealth through the financial leverage of technology. For those of us who have achieved financial success, there is frequently a need to give back. We want to support the institutions and systems that made that success possible and create new opportunities for future generations. Although much technology philanthropy will be of a traditional sort, the drive to innovate doesn't and shouldn't stop. The socially beneficial applications of technology offer these philanthropists a new option to apply their wealth and the lessons of technology enterprise to new needs. Looking at the social sector as valued customers for technology tools changes the dynamic from charity to engagement: helping disadvantaged communities help themselves.
More over, every segment of the social sector is a technology consumer. From planning the logistics of feeding thousands of refugees, to delivering vaccines, to providing education, to creating job opportunities or to advocating for human rights, technology tools are used to improve the outcomes and often directly deliver the social benefit.
In many cases, standard commercial technology serves admirably to support the social sector. Modern telecommunications and transport networks are essential and invaluable in meeting social needs. Off-the-shelf information technology is important in nonprofit organizations to meet many of the same needs as exist in other sectors: a word processor comes in handy across the spectrum!
For example, the cellular phone and its handheld computing cousins already have a major impact on the global poor. Inexpensive cell phone handsets and service have brought effective telecommunications to hundreds of millions, if not more than a billion people. But, the possibilities are just beginning to be explored. A Palm handheld has the MIPS of a Pentium II PC or better. In the next few years, cell phones will have the processing power to do all kinds of unimaginable things.
It is easy to imagine cell phones that will see for those who cannot see, read for those who cannot read, listen for those who cannot hear, translate for those who cannot understand, find those who are lost and remember for those who cannot remember.
Conclusion
We are at a critical intersection in the evolution of technology and social enterprise. Working together, the technology, nonprofit, philanthropic and prospective user communities can ensure far-reaching success in the long-term effort to fulfill the social potential of technology. These collaborations strive to take the technology community including its developers, beneficiaries and promises of the future to the next level of human and social innovation. And, at that next level, we can demonstrate the power of collaborative successes on the global stage, using these exciting projects to catalyze the creation of technology social enterprises around the world.
