How video technology is an avenue toward worldwide fairness
“That’s not fair!”
If you're a parent, a teacher or have any involvement with young children, you’ve heard this line a time or two. Kids seem to be born with an instinct for fairness. When was the last time you thought of that phrase or even said it? Perhaps, while watching or reading a news story. You might have seen something that made you think that today’s world is not fair. However, what if we were to suggest today’s technology might actually help make the world fairer?
Without question, there’s great inequality in our world. When we think that the wealthiest 1 percent of the world owns about 50 percent of the planet’s wealth*, it’s apparent there’s a gap between the rich and the poor. Additionally, we can see that in the First World, just about everyone has access to a level of information that’s unaccessible for many living in the Third World. This isn’t information about rocket science; we’re talking about information necessary to live a safe, healthy life.
For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the information gap became just as evident as the wealth gap. In the United States, there was a widespread campaign informing Americans about the importance of using face coverings and hand washing. Comparatively, in Africa, there were many who weren’t informed that hand washing could help prevent contracting and spreading COVID-19. Some didn’t even know there was a pandemic.
Technology has the power to equalize the information gap. Various agencies and organizations are using the tools of the Information Age to share vital pieces of information around the world. Cellular phones are one method, but there’s a gap here too. In much of the Western World, about 70 to 80 percent of the population owns a mobile device. In the Global South, cellular penetration is less than 30 percent.
Television has been around much longer but is not fairing much better. Over 90 percent of North American and European houses have a television. In many African countries, it’s below 30 percent, although that varies by country. (According to figures from the World Bank, Algeria has 98 percent television penetration, and Chad has just under 3 percent.)
So how can technology bring about fairness? The answer lies with video and its incredibly effective way of spreading information to people around the world. Additionally, just as important video's ability to spread information. Technology, such as cameras, allow people to capture their knowledge and experiences and share it with others.
Video technology is a great equalizer because it allows for the creation and distribution of information. However, for technology like cameras and video projectors to be effective in the Third World, people need a way to access it.
That is our mission. We believe everyone deserves access to education, especially critical, life-saving information. We want to help make the world a little fairer — one video at a time.