A Third-World Innovator’s Dilemma
Wrote in 30 minutes during lunch. Note: “Third-world” is very outdated (obsolete) terminology for developing countries. I only used it here so the title sounds striking.
Being a professional in the field of tech, I was so excited by the seemingly endless possibilities of solutions that this field could provide. There’s a problem? Create an app. There’s a broken system? Digitalize, automate, etc. But realizing who are you trying to help could frustrate you. Imagine building an app, but your intended users are those who don’t even have a smartphone. Imagine building an educational platform, but people in rural areas don’t have an internet connection nor stable electricity.
Case— Rethinking Inclusivity of a Smart City
For example, one of the cases that kept being discussed among tech folks is having a “Smart City”. A Smart City is one of the ideal things that most countries wanted to achieve. Yet, if you would realize the reason why cities couldn’t pursue this is because of the lack of infrastructure. And if we could have Smart Cities, only selected districts could have them, most business districts in a metropolitan area. And the history of our local politics, these business districts displaces those poor people living in the area. And likely if they move, they are only worsening the problem of the community.
But whose problem is it? The private sector, which in the beginning has been firm that they only want profit, or is it the spinelessness of the government that is not competent and firm enough to protect its own people?
For an innovator, this is not something you could handle alone. Politics is too much, and in fact, the system in the public sector is too complex that it became vulnerable to corruption. Coordination with private sectors can be tough too, why would they listen to you if you can’t provide them something that has irresistible value.
How can you truly innovate? How can you change your city? Where should you begin? Do you really want to make good changes? What is the best strategy?
Strategic Collective and Collaborative Change
I have seen different organizations attempting to help the community. But I always have hesitation joining as what they do is seemingly difficult to sustain. And their approach was mostly reactive to the government's mistakes. They are, of course, a valuable entity so people in the marginalized sector especially poor people could have a voice and will be heard. But we already have too many of them, and even most of them due to lack of support, they tend to stop along the way. In contrast, we have fewer of those proactive organizations. Those who attempt to connect both the capabilities of the public, private, and the people’s sectors in order to make good change possible. Yet some people are not leaning toward this direction due to a lack of trust, hatred, and hostility in a certain sector. Not realizing that they could actually get support in a certain area of this sector. If they would stop generalizing, this could lead to great potential to help and innovate the community.
Update — Jan. 21, 2021: There’s a book I read last Dec. 2020 about making innovative solutions addressing issues in deprived communities. You may want to check out and read “Out-Innovate: How Global Entrepreneurs — from Delhi to Detroit — Are Rewriting the Rules of Silicon Valley” by Alexandre Lazarow.
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