Tech Isn’t Just a Tool & Humans Aren’t Just Users

Description:

It is impossible to ignore the role technology platforms play in our collective sense-making, our social relationships, our physical and mental health, and our politics and elections. Every time we talk about technology, what we’re really talking about is power. We need to view technology through a sociotechnical lens. As a creator or entrepreneur in digital technology, your responsibility should increasingly entail not only considering unintended consequences, negative externalities, and downstream effects, but also how to alleviate any massive power imbalances between your product and its users. In this discussion, we will explore how the environment, economy, and constraints of technology impact our ability to innovate ethically and what we can do to tip the scales.