Technology has revolutionized the way we consume, interact and stay informed. However, it can also be useful for solving social and environmental problems. We know it as social technology and it is helping us to meet the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Whenever we list the virtues of technology, we usually highlight its capacity to connect us, entertain us and make our lives easier. Computers & Smartphone’s immediately spring to mind, as do social media and smart household appliances do, and we forget or downplay its enormous potential for transforming the world into a fairer, more equal, sustainable and prosperous place for everyone.
This technological trend with philosophical implications uses all available knowledge and the digital tools at hand to transform society. The term came to the fore at the end of the 19th century and since then the concept has been developing and now provides a cross-sector approach to identify and tackle the foremost challenges facing humanity: inequality, poverty, hunger and the democratisation of access to energy, employment, education and healthcare.