Technology and Social Good

What are the implications of technological innovation for the process of the advancement of civilization?

It seems like in the last few years we've witnessed a number of rapid and far-reaching developments--such as the proliferation of social networking websites and innovations in mobile communications technology--that have great potential to affect how we communicate, access information, and engage in collective endeavors. It is indeed exciting to think about how these technologies might be further adapted and deployed in the future, which will probably occur in ways and to an extent that it is difficult to foresee at this time. To this end, it is interesting to examine what the ultimate objective of technological advancement should be.

A recent article in Machinist, Salon's technology blog, about the concept of persuasive technology, has a number of insights to offer along these lines. According to the article, persuasive technology is the use of technology to persuade someone or group of people to take a certain course of action. The article cites Facebook as a prime example of such technology, referring to the work of B.J. Fogg at Stanford's Persuasive Technology Lab:

"Facebook has changed more people's behavior, more dramatically and faster, than anything that has come before it," [Fogg] said. With millions of people "ritualistically" involved with their Facebook accounts every day, he and his students are now trying to deconstruct precisely how it does its voodoo so well . . . .

Beyond examining the mere persuasive power of various technologies, the article addresses the importance of the ultimate objective of the persuasion:

Any kind of persuasive technique can be used for good or for evil, and no matter what others may do with it, Fogg is trying to use his captological powers for good. Last year, he started teaching a course he calls Peace Innovation. The core idea is to try to "invent peace" through persuasive technology.

"What we're doing is identifying antecedents to peace -- like empathy and tolerance -- that most people would agree need to be present in a peaceful society, then we're designing measurable persuasive techniques to achieve them," said Fogg. "It's a new way of looking at the problem."

Further exploration led me to the Peace Innovation website, which poses questions such as "can you imagine a new way to use Google Maps to promote greater harmony? How about Flickr? or Twitter? or perhaps a combination of these?" It is so refreshing to see these questions being posed, and constructive and systematic efforts being made to answer them.

After reflecting on all of this, the following passage from 'Abdu'l-Baha seemed to resonate in a new way:

Consider carefully: all these highly varied phenomena, these concepts, this knowledge, these technical procedures and philosophical systems, these sciences, arts, industries and inventions -- all are emanations of the human mind. Whatever people has ventured deeper into this shoreless sea, has come to excel the rest. The happiness and pride of a nation consist in this, that it should shine out like the sun in the high heaven of knowledge. . . . And the honor and distinction of the individual consist in this, that he among all the world's multitudes should become a source of social good. Is any larger bounty conceivable than this, that an individual, looking within himself, should find that by the confirming grace of God he has become the cause of peace and well-being, of happiness and advantage to his fellow men? No, by the one true God, there is no greater bliss, no more complete delight.