There is a common belief, advocated by the likes of Christopher Schroeder, speaker at Startup Turkey 2015 and author of the well-acclaimed ‘Startup Rising’, that we are witnessing one of the greatest shifts in world history. Yet, this paramount and critical shift remains misunderstood and its impact understated.
By all means, we have never led better lives as a collective humankind: the middle class is on the rise, we kill less and live longer than ever. At no point in history did we have more tools at our disposal to change the world. However many among do not believe in technology’s force for good, however these following myths need to be debunked and for more accurate vision to withstand.
Myth #1: ‘It matters only to the elites’
Many of us hold the belief that the technological progress is orchestrated by the elites and all gains are reaped by the elites. Although it’s tough to predict the distribution of gains from technological innovations, yet the far-reaching effects it has are by no means, elitist. Technology provides universal access to the world around us; it provides all of humankind's knowledge for virtually a fraction of a cost, enabling unparalleled sharing of ideas, collaboration and empowerment at an individual level. Many people through technology see and taste the world they have never known before.
Myth #2: ‘None of this really matters’
Proponents of this view do not believe that technology does not provide tacit change, but they assert that tech-related shifts are the side-show to the economic realities, often insolently asking ‘what part of our GDP does your tech-related things even comprise?’. What advocates of these view ignore, perhaps inadvertently, is the multiplier effect of economic ramifications for the influence of technology. The more pervasive technology is, the greater is the multiplier – and it is a given fact that soon every company will become a software company. Every company will have to do something with technology, every company will have a tech element to it. But more broadly, every problem can have a software solution to mitigate, if not solve, the problem, through optimization and efficient distribution.
The larger question remains unanswered: what is going to happen when billions are connected to each other and can collaborate together? What happens in the world where everyone can transact and value property instantly by sending safely, instantly any kind of files, be it music, films or other forms?
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