30-Second Commentary . Is Technology the Answer - Kentaro Toyama

Some people say that Internet technologies are changing society for the better. They're right about change, but are they right about "better"? Here's a graph from the United States Census showing the rate of poverty. Poverty declined until about 1970 and has since remained steady at around 13%, embarrassingly high for the planet's wealthiest country. Since 1970, we also saw the rise of technologies like the personal computer, the Internet, and the mobile phone. But if, in the golden age of innovation, in the world's most technologically advanced country, all this technology hasn't put a dent in poverty, are we sure technology is the answer?