Digital for Good — Sarah Davidson
As a consultant working for IBM, I am often bombarded with requests from family and friends to fix their Wi-Fi, give them advice on what laptop they should buy and a multitude of other tech-related questions.
As a misunderstood consultant, I typically reply back with my canned answer of “IBM stopped selling computers in the 2000s” and “I have no idea how to fix your wi-fi, you should probably just google it.” While I may not be able to fix my grandma’s iPhone, I do think that as consultants working in the technology field, we have a responsibility to contribute and educate ourselves about technology that objectively makes the world a better place.
You may already be familiar with IBM’s campaign “Let’s Put Smart to Work,”where the focus is on how impactful the usage of AI and data can be in our society — whether that be from Internet of Things (IoT) helping protect endangered species or Watson improving patient care. While I believe these things are huge strides for society and great progress in technology being put to work for the greater good, sometimes, even as a consultant working at the very company that is designing this technology, it can feel far away.
This has led me to research other ways that I personally can contribute to technology for good — and also exploring my role as an educated consumer. I was pleasantly surprised to learn how many companies and other people were also looking for ways to allow people to contribute and have created them! Although it may seem small, these incremental contributions add up quickly and start to build habits and a focus around small daily decisions to be more conscious of others.
Taking Action
I have found that one of the easiest ways to ‘do good’ through technology is through apps that I already have on my phone, or to take the 30 seconds to download them.
Lyft RoundUp and Donate:This ‘opt-in’ on the Lyft app allows riders to “round up” the cost of their ride to the next whole dollar. The difference will be donated to a public interest organization that has partnered with Lyft. These include organizations such as The Trust for Public Land, USO, Black Girls CODE and many more.
Be My Eyes:This free app connects blind and low-vision people with sighted volunteers and company representatives for visual assistance through a live video call. Volunteers receive a notification on their phone and answer if they are available. They have the opportunity to help people with tasks such as making sure their clothes match, checking the expiration date on food, etc.
Charity Miles:This is also a free app — if you move (dancing, running, walking, biking, etc.) this app is for you! For every mile you track using the app, money is earned for your charity of choice. You can also get sponsored by your friends in addition to the corporate sponsors that the app is partnered with.
The other side of the coin in my quest to discover good technology is learning more about digital accessibility. As our world becomes increasingly more digital — users with disabilities are faced with challenges of accessing these resources. This can include barriers with text size, lack of closed captioning and poor mobile app design to name a few.
Although there are current workarounds like assistive technology tools, and some legislation in place to accommodate for people with disabilities, widespread adoption and progress is slow going.
Even if we are not the ones writing the code and working the backend of websites and mobile apps, I challenge us as employees within the technology world and consumers of digital to advocate for digital accessibility. Whether this is in the form of supporting initiatives like IBM’s Accessibility Researchor getting involved with your local legislation, if often just takes pausing a moment to approach technology with an empathetic lens — challenging ourselves to put ourselves in other’s shoes and considering how we can use our skills and knowledge for good.
Here is some more inspiration on how technology is making the world a better place for all:
