Technology and Social Justice

Preface

If you tune in weekly to my posts, you may have noticed that I missed a regularly scheduled Wednesday post last week. I was planning to write about something positive going on in the world to have a refreshing topic amid all the chaos and grim news we digest daily. Unfortunately, after a frustrating week of research, I was entirely stumped. It seemed as though every shred of improvement relating to human rights or quality of life around the world was paired with the overall conclusion that there really has been little to no improvement at all. In most cases, human rights have seemingly declined. Disclaimer – I take this information with a grain of salt seeing as I don’t have the full picture. However, the fact remained that looking for good news produced crippling writer’s block and a sense of impending doom while considering our bleak future. Thankfully, I have had a breakthrough in terms of perspective.

Rapid development, globalization, and industrialization are often linked with human rights abuses and inequality. However, in an age where technological advancements are filled with potential, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Although social justice and equality have been slow to advance, modern technology offers us new methods of addressing fundamental human rights and barriers on a large scale. So, on a positive note, let’s look at the usefulness of technology and the revolutionary impact it could have on social justice.

Education

Access to education has been at the forefront of social justice activism for decades. Specifically for children and women in environments where education cannot be a priority amid more pressing needs. However, technology breaks down barriers and shows great potential to even the playing field in terms of access to educational tools.

Also known as EdTech, educational technology is something that many of us became familiar with during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether it was attending classes on Zoom or virtually completing onboarding professional training, it is safe to say that most of us have lengthy experience with EdTech. So much so that we take it for granted. Around the world, EdTech can be used as a tool to increase learning capacity both in terms of class size and teacher knowledge. With the use of technology, more students are able to enroll in schools that experience a shortage of teachers and can subsidize knowledge gaps in subjects that the already limited teachers may not be as knowledgeable in. These advancements are a game changer in countries facing “education poverty.”

EdTech also addresses the high levels of teacher absenteeism in countries that typically produce lower literacy and education levels. Whether it is due to illness, lack of qualified teachers, or low pay, many countries experience a low level of ability and/or effort from teachers. EdTech offers a potential solution in lieu of better pay and expertise (when these options are not accessible) to ensure continuous and uninterrupted learning. Overall, manageable class sizes, curriculum expertise, and consistency are three things that are vital to a sustainable education system. Hopefully EdTech is an innovative solution that can address these disparities around the world.

Access to Fresh Water

Access to clean drinking water is a human right that is also at the forefront of social justice activism. Approximately 2 billion people worldwide lack this fundamental need. Fortunately, continuous advancements in water collection and filtration technology are producing new, sustainable methods of supplying clean water to communities in need.

For example, Morocco has developed a fog-harvesting project to collect fresh water from heavy fog in the region. This water is then used as clean drinking water. I think this project is extremely interesting and is a great example of utilizing the available resources to improve the lives of the local community rather than benefitting large corporations – which is the outcome we usually see. In Egypt, one of the largest wastewater treatment plants is used to treat water which then irrigates tens of thousands of hectares of farmland. Although this is not used as drinking water, crops also need clean water to mitigate contamination and maintain community health.

Healthcare

When we think of technological advancements in healthcare, we– or at least, I– often envision MRI machines or perhaps new methods of minimally invasive life-saving surgeries. However, technology and healthcare in a global development context pertain to less flashy, ground-breaking inventions. The most impactful change to global healthcare which we are witnessing in real-time is the introduction of AI to healthcare.

AI is being introduced as a method of expanding the reach of access to basic healthcare, especially in countries where a large portion of the population has little to no access. An example given by the World Economic Forum explains that “AI algorithms can analyse medical imaging data to identify early signs of diseases like cancer, often with greater accuracy than human doctors and at a lower cost.” I would imagine that this kind of technology could also be applied to inputting symptoms and identifying necessary medications. In countries where healthcare professionals are scarce, expensive, and overall not easily accessible, this kind of advancement could be revolutionary.

Healthcare is often inhibited when doctors are overworked and underpaid, leading to high medical costs in countries where insurance is not easily obtainable. However, if technology could perform basic medical assessments, this barrier would likely be adequately mitigated. So, I can see how AI could be an extremely powerful tool to streamline healthcare services and afford everyone the opportunity to have their basic health needs addressed.

There is Still Progress to be Made

At the rate of technological advancement that the world is currently growing, I’m sure these few examples are just the tip of the iceberg. However, in the most underserved communities, there are existing barriers to technology itself. Power and internet access are not universal and could likely add another layer to social justice obstacles. Further, these technological advancements can be expensive and require time and expertise to put in place, especially to ensure long-term sustainability. This issue begs the question of how these projects can be implemented.

As I have brought up a few times in past posts, foreign aid is often allocated poorly and aid funds are misused (Haiti is an example of this). However, in my opinion, allocating aid to technological infrastructure could be an important next step in global development. Aid given to support innovative, sustainable technology that will address social justice concerns would be a worthwhile project. I am hopeful that those in positions to make decisions regarding aid initiatives will see the value in these up-and-coming advancements and respond appropriately.  Further, I hope we continue to see positive growth in terms of technological advancements and social justice. For lack of a better term, it’s only up from here!