In IT programs or even in Information Technology education, not everyone knows that technology could help build peace. Tech innovations for conflict resolution and peace need not have a true social impact in order to succeed. Most people would only help change the world if it comes without true sacrifice and so it speaks to ongoing controversies. Conflict resolution and humanitarian development with technology-based approaches are admired by policymakers for their promise to quick-fix solutions. The traditional peacebuilding policy, which involve careful analysis for years or even decades is upended by ‘disruptive’ solutions that are gaining traction. Peace researchers who want to influence policy debates could not just release findings but should establish mechanisms to implement.
THE GOAL OF PEACE SCIENCE
The peace science’s goal is to comprehend ways to contribute better to peacebuilding. This implies that scholars should recognize how the new forms of knowledge and communication dissemination influence the policy world and be ready to react and act accordingly. New information technology systems could open up novel approaches to building peace. This was especially apparent in a lot of projects that use video games as a tool for attitude change. For instance, Peace Superheroes that is in development currently, offers players a chance to take on the role of peace builders as they transform violence.
TECHNOLOGICAL APPROACHES ARE DESIGNED TO ENGAGE
There’s a lot to be excited about in using information technology to build peace. In comparison to traditional ways of shaping the peacebuilding policy, technology approaches are more bottom-up and designed to directly engage with citizens, in contrast to working via recalcitrant or cumbersome politicians. Solutions like electronic tracing applications for conflict minerals or crowdsourcing experiences of victims to create a knowledge base for reconciliation and truth committees could better assist those who need it most. However, often start-ups launch peacebuilding initiatives without engaging deeply with existing knowledge or even worse, do not think that this knowledge is needed. This could mean that they’re useless to local communities or much worse, could be repurposed by governments to target people that the technology was supposed to help.
USING TECHNOLOGY FOR BUILDING PEACE
One major reason of using technologies in building peace is that they could empower a bigger number of people to engage and to participate. There are a lot of ways that technology could be used for empowering different groups in both conflict and post-conflict contexts. For example, there are well-documented tensions between state uses of technologies for security implications and surveillance of some grassroots uses.
Another assumption that underlies the use of technologies for building peace is that it could help boost peacebuilding, with the caution that there are risks and ethical issues associated with it. It’s evident in the proliferation of innovative initiatives and a lot of discussions on the role of technologies in more traditional peacebuilding.
TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPERS AND PEACE BUILDERS
Tech developers and peace builders shared reasons for concern and hope about the future. But in one aspect, they were united in smaller or bigger ways. Build Peace is a conference for social entrepreneurs and activists who want to look for ways to harness technology for building peace. There was huge agreement that on its own technology would not be able to solve conflicts, in comparison to several of the more techno-utopian ideas that apparently had captured the imaginations of people a few years back. The acknowledgement that technology could only be truly effective when used by, or in coordination with peace builders with in-depth knowledge of societies and conflict being targeted.
ALTERNATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR PEACE
The depth and variety of experience shared in the Peace Building conference demonstrated that the use of technology for building peace is on the rise. Nevertheless, there are also alternative infrastructures for peace that are the result of tech-enabled initiatives.
1. Making space for new visions. Digital media provides the tools for collaborative media creation and dissemination, including blogs, social media, citizen journalism, wikis and more. Local peace builders use these tools to bring new voices to the public.
2. Making digital trust networks. SMS and online platforms could be used not only for instant messages transmission, they could also be used to form longer term relationships and regular exchanges. Local peace builders use groups in mobile chat rooms, social media and dedicated networking platforms for nurturing exchanges between groups, which are divided by conflict lines.
3. Counteracting calls for chaos and violence. Technology tools, too often are used to solicit and organization violent actions actively. Peace makers use the same tools as violent groups to counter violence calls through mobilizing collective positive messaging expression.
Powerful technology tools are on the rise in the hands of local peace builders and results to the widespread use of innovative initiatives. The technology for peace is a series of tools, which enable local peace makers to communicate with more people in a lot of ways, gather better information and substation relationships on digital platforms.
THE GOAL OF PEACE SCIENCE
The peace science’s goal is to comprehend ways to contribute better to peacebuilding. This implies that scholars should recognize how the new forms of knowledge and communication dissemination influence the policy world and be ready to react and act accordingly. New information technology systems could open up novel approaches to building peace. This was especially apparent in a lot of projects that use video games as a tool for attitude change. For instance, Peace Superheroes that is in development currently, offers players a chance to take on the role of peace builders as they transform violence.
There’s a lot to be excited about in using information technology to build peace. In comparison to traditional ways of shaping the peacebuilding policy, technology approaches are more bottom-up and designed to directly engage with citizens, in contrast to working via recalcitrant or cumbersome politicians. Solutions like electronic tracing applications for conflict minerals or crowdsourcing experiences of victims to create a knowledge base for reconciliation and truth committees could better assist those who need it most. However, often start-ups launch peacebuilding initiatives without engaging deeply with existing knowledge or even worse, do not think that this knowledge is needed. This could mean that they’re useless to local communities or much worse, could be repurposed by governments to target people that the technology was supposed to help.
USING TECHNOLOGY FOR BUILDING PEACE
One major reason of using technologies in building peace is that they could empower a bigger number of people to engage and to participate. There are a lot of ways that technology could be used for empowering different groups in both conflict and post-conflict contexts. For example, there are well-documented tensions between state uses of technologies for security implications and surveillance of some grassroots uses.
Another assumption that underlies the use of technologies for building peace is that it could help boost peacebuilding, with the caution that there are risks and ethical issues associated with it. It’s evident in the proliferation of innovative initiatives and a lot of discussions on the role of technologies in more traditional peacebuilding.
TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPERS AND PEACE BUILDERS
Tech developers and peace builders shared reasons for concern and hope about the future. But in one aspect, they were united in smaller or bigger ways. Build Peace is a conference for social entrepreneurs and activists who want to look for ways to harness technology for building peace. There was huge agreement that on its own technology would not be able to solve conflicts, in comparison to several of the more techno-utopian ideas that apparently had captured the imaginations of people a few years back. The acknowledgement that technology could only be truly effective when used by, or in coordination with peace builders with in-depth knowledge of societies and conflict being targeted.
ALTERNATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR PEACE
The depth and variety of experience shared in the Peace Building conference demonstrated that the use of technology for building peace is on the rise. Nevertheless, there are also alternative infrastructures for peace that are the result of tech-enabled initiatives.
1. Making space for new visions. Digital media provides the tools for collaborative media creation and dissemination, including blogs, social media, citizen journalism, wikis and more. Local peace builders use these tools to bring new voices to the public.
2. Making digital trust networks. SMS and online platforms could be used not only for instant messages transmission, they could also be used to form longer term relationships and regular exchanges. Local peace builders use groups in mobile chat rooms, social media and dedicated networking platforms for nurturing exchanges between groups, which are divided by conflict lines.
3. Counteracting calls for chaos and violence. Technology tools, too often are used to solicit and organization violent actions actively. Peace makers use the same tools as violent groups to counter violence calls through mobilizing collective positive messaging expression.
Powerful technology tools are on the rise in the hands of local peace builders and results to the widespread use of innovative initiatives. The technology for peace is a series of tools, which enable local peace makers to communicate with more people in a lot of ways, gather better information and substation relationships on digital platforms.
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