Today, we witness technology in pretty much every walk of life, from communication to space exploration. However, technology has applications that extend far beyond these sectors. Technology is capable of changing this world in ways beyond our imagination. It holds immense potential to address and solve various social issues like poverty, illiteracy, and healthcare.
Several institutions around the world are working towards using technology to create positive social impacts. One way technology is being used to help society is by giving underprivileged people a means to earn money. People from underdeveloped areas don’t have the means to earn, and this is the underlying reason behind their poverty. Technology gives them a way to sell or trade their products or services and earn money from it. One such example is M-Pesa, an online transaction app introduced in 2007 by Vodafone and Safaricom for Kenya. It has changed the economic landscape of the country and has given millions of people an opportunity to make money. It was so successful that by 2020, it had around 40 million active users with about $314 billion in annual transactions.
The advent of technology has also helped education. Technology has reshaped education and helped millions of people. Technology enables institutions to educate the masses in rural areas. One such example is Khan Academy. Sal Khan established it in 2008. Khan Academy provides its services in multiple languages and to 120 million people worldwide. Basically, Khan Academy democratised education to ensure that every person has a basic education, irrespective of their geological and economic situation. Similarly, Byju’s Learning App also served more than 100 million people, especially from underserved and rural areas of India.
Technology has also changed the healthcare industry, not just in terms of equipment and medical practices but also in the way people interact with doctors. Not everyone can visit a doctor, which is why technology brings doctors to patients through telemedicine. By using telemedicine, doctors are able to treat people who otherwise wouldn’t have the chance to visit a doctor. According to a McKinsey And Company report, telehealth utilisation increased by 38 times from the pre-COVID-19 baseline, mostly in underserved areas of society.
Technology can bring various improvements to society, but it is not a genie; it’s a tool for us to atone to help the underprivileged and take society to a place where everyone has equal opportunities, irrespective of colour, creed and geography.
