What can technology Do?
Again, an article that I would not have seen had I not purchased my local Sunday paper, The Tulsa World, yesterday, “Technology: Finding a Voice for Eva.” This story about a young person and her disability has an interesting ending that I’m going to give away trusting that you will go read the entire, short, story.
“This is, in part, the response she got. “Eva, we hired you because of your ability, not your disability. Everyone’s disabled in some way. I think you will find this environment supportive and welcoming.”
That kind of pushed the cynical mood out of me for a bit about business, politics, and religion. I think about this today as I prepare to do a “Show & Tell” for the faculty at Phillips Theological Seminary about the tech my peers [nPartnership] and I are using to teach a class about Youth Ministry at PTS this fall. It is a class that most of the students are participating in by live video feed from their home or office for 75 minuts each week.
Technology is not “the great savior,” for institutions seeking more students, but in the case of Eva, and many others, it has saving qualities that connect her to the world in ways she could not without it. She uses it to connect beyond her isolation. Much of the tech we interact with in daily life “uses” the user through to connect and isolate through advertising and marketing. We’ve evolved from a “make it to last” economy to a “make it disposable or quickly obsolete” economy. Technology has helped drive the culture of consumption and innovation. It’s a balance that takes intentionality on the part of the user. I may have to start buying the local paper again, at least on Sunday.