It is a common misconception that technology has made us cold-blooded humans. However, what i want to point out is that technology is just an objective thing and what the effect it can bring depends on our belief.
Just imagine, somewhere far away is struck by an earthquake. What would we do? Well, we can create a crisis map of the disaster, mapping everything from CNN reports to Tweets. The work we accomplished is far beyond preying. What we have accomplished is connecting missing people with relief efforts on the ground. Our crisis map can save hundreds of thousands of lives .
There are two common threads in the examples of digital humanitarianism: technology and hope. What matters is combining two essential elements to create projects that truly work--combining the human desire to help with new technological tools that can enhance human abilities. It can take a lot more time for satellites to collect the data that can be used for disaster response, a long turn-around time when lives are on the line.
However, this can cause some serious issues, too. The overflow of information can be just as paralyzing as the lack of information. Data overload isn't the only problem with technology--driven disaster response: there is also the matter of verification. Thus we are looking to crowdsource critical thinking which means to educate and create a more skilled online sphere.
Digital humanitarianism isn't just a matter of technological expertise. It is important to remind ourselves this is more than just technical exercise. It is because people care that these crisis maps exist--it is story about humanity and what it means to be human.
