Interesting article. I believe that the author's challenge for tech companies to be more attuned to the poor is promising, but holds little actual value. In fact, who can afford fancy new technology in their car, smartphone, or home? What earning bracket do tech companies get the most profit from? So, unless there is a regulatory body that enforces tech products to be more accessible to the poor, the tech industry will continue to ignore them.
In terms of the argument of the article, I definitely agree with the author's criticism of American society. It seems ridiculous that someone can worry about getting the latest iPhone, for example, while another person has trouble even paying their phone bills. To me, our society seems far from equitable. Is there a way that tech resources can bridge this gap? In my mind, this couldn't happen without A LOT of encouragement from government. Before we look at tech industries to solve our income inequality dilemma, I think we should look at what government CAN do to alleviate the problem, not a specific industry itself.
To play devil's advocate, technology and innovations that can be seen as cracking down on the poor can often open gateways for them by solving asymmetric info problems. You're in tough financial straits but you need a car for your new job. Will you be able to pay back a car loan? Normally, a lender wouldn't take a risk on you. But with a tracking device, they're willing to give you a shot. If you can't keep up the payments and so they shut off your car, you were probably going to be in trouble tech or no. On the other hand, if you can keep up the payments, that's a ticket out of poverty you otherwise wouldn't have had.
The empirical example of this is evidence that adoption of drug testing raised black wages and employment levels.
What's worse than a job you're rejected from after failing a drug test? The job you never get an interview for. What's worse than the car that's shut off after you miss a payment? The car you were never able to buy.
To know that "society is great at punishing people for circumstances that are often outside their control," I was sad. People deserve to be treated equal and "the right-wing crazies who believe that anyone collecting food stamps should be treated like criminals in exchange for their food" is against human morality. I believe Tech is the main reason behind the widened gap between the rich and the poor. The top 15 World's Richest Tech Billionaires are worth $382 billion dollars, more than the annual GDP of the 6 smallest countries in the world.
Interesting article. I believe that the author's challenge for tech companies to be more attuned to the poor is promising, but holds little actual value. In fact, who can afford fancy new technology in their car, smartphone, or home? What earning bracket do tech companies get the most profit from? So, unless there is a regulatory body that enforces tech products to be more accessible to the poor, the tech industry will continue to ignore them.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of the argument of the article, I definitely agree with the author's criticism of American society. It seems ridiculous that someone can worry about getting the latest iPhone, for example, while another person has trouble even paying their phone bills. To me, our society seems far from equitable. Is there a way that tech resources can bridge this gap? In my mind, this couldn't happen without A LOT of encouragement from government. Before we look at tech industries to solve our income inequality dilemma, I think we should look at what government CAN do to alleviate the problem, not a specific industry itself.
To play devil's advocate, technology and innovations that can be seen as cracking down on the poor can often open gateways for them by solving asymmetric info problems. You're in tough financial straits but you need a car for your new job. Will you be able to pay back a car loan? Normally, a lender wouldn't take a risk on you. But with a tracking device, they're willing to give you a shot. If you can't keep up the payments and so they shut off your car, you were probably going to be in trouble tech or no. On the other hand, if you can keep up the payments, that's a ticket out of poverty you otherwise wouldn't have had.
ReplyDeleteThe empirical example of this is evidence that adoption of drug testing raised black wages and employment levels.
What's worse than a job you're rejected from after failing a drug test? The job you never get an interview for. What's worse than the car that's shut off after you miss a payment? The car you were never able to buy.
To know that "society is great at punishing people for circumstances that are often outside their control," I was sad. People deserve to be treated equal and "the right-wing crazies who believe that anyone collecting food stamps should be treated like criminals in exchange for their food" is against human morality. I believe Tech is the main reason behind the widened gap between the rich and the poor. The top 15 World's Richest Tech Billionaires are worth $382 billion dollars, more than the annual GDP of the 6 smallest countries in the world.
ReplyDelete