Industrial Revolutions and it’s Inequalities
Posted on October 30, 2017
Photo by Cristian Newman on Unsplash
There is clear evidence that show how people’s quality of life were improved as well as a general elevation of global income levels. However as the years have gone by we’ve noticed that after every Industrial Revolution there is a level of inequality generated by advancements in technology and shifts in labor conditions where a certain number of citizens are not benefited from these kinds of advancements. We’ve noticed these circumstances in the cases of displacement of workers due to lack of skills and knowledge, also in communities in third world countries where these advancements seem to not reach and where their lives aren’t as impacted and modified as fast as it is for the vast majority of the world’s population. At some points it might seem as if these benefits arrive in some places, but not at the same rate as it does in developed countries.
The Third Industrial Revolution gave us advancements in electronics and information technology to automate production. Now, building on the third, comes the Fourth Industrial Revolution where new technologies have emerged and allowed for the growth of new paths for innovative solutions. It is also an era where the digital, physical and biological fields have merged. This has created once again great advancements that I am profoundly found of and that I myself want to be a part of when generating innovative solutions to wicked problems. However, I like to keep in mind that once again there are certain people who don’t have the economical position to have access to digital goods or technology, who are left behind and in disadvantage. My experience of coming from a third world country has allowed me to be exposed to the obvious difference in how these advancements don’t generate change in certain societies. It seems as if they “forget” certain groups of people that don’t fall into the category that can be considered as part of beneficiaries for such advancements. Or simply groups of people who will enjoy these benefits but years after. As the Transdisciplinary designer I am aiming to become, I don’t want to get caught into being a contributor to such inequality.
Now this Fourth Industrial Revolution has provided new advances that are incredibly beneficial for humanity as they can set the ground for developments in health, environmental impact, education and in social, cultural and human environments. Which can also help us into breaking the poverty cycle by allowing these displaced citizens to be a part of the beneficiaries for the next Industrial Revolutions to come or to simply enjoy the benefits sooner. It seems as if the biggest problems are due to delays in receiving the benefits from the current Industrial Revolutions. With each Industrial Revolution there are advancements that benefit the economically adapted. I question the thought of observing if a population can “skip” a revolution, or do they have to go in order, and how this might generate different problems? As an example to my point I’d like to reference Alex Tapscott author of The Blockchain Revolution. He notes that “we need 8 transformations for a prosperous world to emerge. On top of that list we find “including billions of people in the global economy. Two billion people in the world don’t have any kinds of identities (license, birth certificates, etc). Without these it’s really hard for them to be included as part of the society that is gaining access to benefits such as the ones presented by the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”(1) We need to find better ways to create financial inclusion.
Access to digitalizing our lives creates an interesting platform for making processes “easier” for us in the developed world. It allows for better connectivity in between individuals and nations, easier and faster transactions, open platforms for expression, and the better scenarios for innovation to emerge. However without the basics as a form of identity individuals are not even considered for participating in these new forms of technologically influenced behaviors.
I like to ask myself, “Will it be possible for technologies such as Blockchain to provide a space for a more equitable ground for different individuals from different economical backgrounds to rise and be benefited as much as the intellectual providers and investors?” Also to question who really benefits from the Fourth Industrial Revolution? And is there a way in which we can accelerate the process for third world countries to gain benefits sooner? Is there a way in which these new behaviors, due to technology, can also benefit these populations? I like to think that by understanding these revolutions and technologies such as blockchain I can then have a better opportunity at tackling these issues of inequality due to technological advancements. To lower the barriers faced by these individuals by allowing them in their own ways to contribute to society. To adapt these technologies into creating advancements not only in how we consume services and goods but as well as adapting them into creating a positive impact for them as well.
I want to end with this question: Is the problem that these specific populations need to catch up? or Is each Industrial Revolution creating this distance between developed and third world countries? I ask myself, How can I contribute to stem the exclusivity as designer? I am very interested in doing research and ideation around finding ways to use the blockchain technology for creating a disruptive process in the Fourth Industrial Revolution in which third world countries and low-income individuals can also be a part of and benefit from such advancements. Technology like blockchain provides a platform where decentralized networks can emerge in which contracts can be facilitated into the emergence of citizen based initiatives. In doing so, I do want to keep in mind people’s most basic needs and desires to create interventions in complex systems that cause direct positive impact in all members of a society without excluding certain demographics.
Pamela Lama
(1) Tapscott, Don, and Alex Tapscott. Blockchain Revolution: How the Technology behind Bitcoin Is Changing Money, Business and the World. Portfolio/Penguin.