By Heidi Sinclair
This year, IBM celebrated the 30th anniversary of the personal computer. I remember it well; during the summer of 1981. I was two years out of college and working in Silicon Valley. Those were early days, but we dreamed big: for my client, Apple, I wrote a story for the International Herald titled "A Computer in Every Pot," speculating on the time when everyone would have computing power.
Bill Gates shared his vision of a PC in every home and on every desk.
We’ve exceeded these wild ambitions, many of us have the equivalent of a PC in every pocket and our households are teeming with laptops, tablets, smart phones and media centers.
Mobile phones have brought the power of computing well beyond the developed world as well.
I have seen the impact that a simple phone has on a Delhi seamstress and an Uttar Pradesh farmer. Technology is deeply embedded in the fabric of industry, government and society at all levels and in all parts of this planet.
Thirty years ago, the technology industry was on a mission to change the world by creating the tools that ushered in the Information Age. Access to information has driven the interconnectedness of humanity and commerce, and has led to greater democratization of society. The world is a profoundly changed place.
Yet, in many respects the technology industry itself has not changed that much.
We thrive on improvement, bettering what has come before. This pursuit of the next new thing is critical to driving the kind of change we have seen.
But, we as an industry need perspective as well as pursuit. We need to take stock of the world that we have so greatly impacted.
We need to put context around our invention. We need to recognize the impact and take responsibility for the profound effect that our technology has had on industry, governments, society and mankind.
The technology industry must celebrate the change technology has made.
The Rewards of Innovation
Technology gives us the freedom to work from just about anywhere. Productivity has increased thanks to all the advances in technology.
According to Mahzarin R. Banaji’s essay, "Unraveling Beliefs," over the course of 150 years, the life expectancy of a white woman living in the United States has jumped from 40 to 80 years. Something that seemed to be determined by biology, now seems to be related to advances in technology and science that have induced major changes to healthcare and nutrition.
Banaji says our beliefs about the worth of life and health and prosperity have impacted the changes as well. Medical advances, like vaccinations, have increased life expectancy in third world countries. According to the World Health Organization, nearly 250,000 cases of polio were reported in 1990, whereas in 2010, thanks to vaccinations, the estimated number of polio cases worldwide was only 1,500.
Even the Fifth Amendment has been impacted by technology, as defendants can now be forced to provide samples of their blood, saliva and other DNA evidence that could incriminate them. Now we hear stories about criminals convicted based on DNA evidence from three decades ago, often freeing an innocent person.
Our ability to analyze DNA has created a fairer justice system where physical evidence plays a key role. It is time to celebrate these thousands of extraordinary milestones made possible by innovation.
Assume Responsibility for Innovation
Kindergarteners don’t have fine-tuned digit motor skills but their thumbs are very adept. Many teens default to playing with their phones and only communicating via text messages now, versus interacting with people in-person.
I recently sat down with MIT Professor and author Sherry Turkle to discuss her new book, "Alone Together," the result of over 10 years of research on the effect of technology on youth and relationships.
Turkle feels we need to be aware of how technology is not only supporting our relationships but also inhibiting them, and create new societal norms and etiquette for technology use. She advocates having no texting zones in the home and car.
Understanding technology’s impact on our children and the world that we are leaving them is important.
We can and are inventing new technologies to improve our environment, to educate upcoming generations, to improve working conditions globally, to save lives. We can innovate to solve these and other important societal issues.
Change the Conversation
With the global community as our audience, we must use a simpler language and evolve the technology discussion in line with the people who are influenced by and using the byproducts of our invention.
It is time for us to elevate our conversation from speeds and feeds and competitive features to one of how technologies are applied to daily life. We are no longer in the Information Age. We are now in what I and others are calling the Innovation Age.
Where innovation impacts everything. Innovation by nature is a state of constant change. We need to understand that impact, and ensure that innovation is seen as an engine for positive progress globally. This means we need to talk less about features and more about how technology truly can impact our world and our lives. As communicators, this is our job. We need to guide our colleagues and clients away from the arcane technical language that is our industry’s comfort zone and elevate the conversation to one of benefits, impact and application. Steve Jobs made technology accessible and beautiful. We can do the same to the language of technology.
The Innovation Age is upon us and it is truly the most exciting era ever. The Innovation Age is our time to use technology to create a sustainable life and world for all of us.
* * *
Heidi Sinclair is president of the global technology practice at Weber Shandwick. |