What would happen if Technology could send us a message? If technology could tell us what it thinks about us, humans, what would be the message?
On November 29th, 2018, we were fortunate enough to attend as guests the annual meeting of Telefónica executives. During the event, José María Álvarez-Pallete (chairman), said something that we liked for its simplicity and for the certainty it contains in each of its words: «It´s people who gives purpose to Technology and not the other way around». This quote was part of Telefónica’s new mission to «make the world more human by connecting people’s lives».
Weeks passed by
On January 13th 2019, a gas explosion in a bakery in Paris left three people dead. Among them was a Spaniard. In a later statement to the tv, the victim’s father lamented on television that while his brother-in-law was asking for help for his daughter after the explosion, people were recording with their cell phones:
«People were recording with the fucking cell phone instead of procuring help»
This made us reflect, and that phrase of José María Álvarez-Pallete, which remained latent in our subconscious, became active again: «it is people who give purpose to technology and not the other way around». And we began to think, to reflect: many times we blame technology as if it was something disconnected form us. SmartPhones create addiction… Robots are going to take away our jobs… algorithms spy on us…
It is true that we live immersed in an unprecedented digital revolution. It is true that technology has disrupted all productive and social sectors. It has changed the way we interact and the way we relate to each other. But we must never forget that we are the ones who created technology. Those who make it happen. Those of us who program the algorithms to do what we tell them to do, whether it’s spying on us or trying to predict earthquakes. It is ultimately up to us. That’s why we believe we have a great responsibility, as people, to make a better world. Sometimes it is easier to look the other way and just blame technology and eliminate the human factor from the equation. It is easier to blame others, but perhaps we should change the focus. And we got hands on.
What would happen if Technology could send us a message? If technology could tell us what it thinks about us, humans, what would be the message?
«Dear humans: we can do better»
Collective #MakeTechGreatAgain
