Technology enables incredible things, but only if we understand it
The title of this post was the main message of my talk at the TEDxINCAE 2017, shown in video bellow. Leveraging examples that ranged from initiatives in rural Guatemala to cutting edge research with a cloud infrastructure service provider, I argue that to make the most out of digital technologies you must overcome two barriers. The first, the obvious one, is the knowledge barrier. To overcome it (1) we must first realize that the technology exists, (2) then that it has value for us, and (3) finally we must learn how to use it. However, the most important barrier we must overcome is fear. I wrap up my talk suggesting that ignorance (the lack of knowledge) is not the same as stupidity (the inability to understand). Under the assumption that we have the ability to learn (i.e., that we are not stupid), we can beat ignorance with will.
Worth noting, the original version of the video is in the TEDx Talks channel. However, the slides do not show display well in that version, so included them in the version I show here. The talk took place in January 2017.
