Geek Heresy: Rescuing Social Change from the Cult of Technology

by Kentaro Toyama

Mentorship and intrinsic growth won’t solve all of the world’s problems. But if packaged interventions amplify human forces, then in a world already full of incredible technologies and brilliant technocratic ideas, what we need much more of is heart, mind, and will.25 Technocratic forces take care of themselves. We don’t need to push for mobile services to reach every corner of the world – telecommunication companies have already done that. We don’t need to worry about spreading profitable loans – eager banks will do so. We don’t need to spark democratic protests – frustrated citizens will rebel on their own. Packaged interventions will thrive, with or without our help, because the easily replicable parts have built-in rewards.