+
Sign up for
The Upworthiest
Our top stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox.
upworthy
Badge
United Nations
Shaping Our Future Together
Science & Technology

How can we harness technology to create a more sustainable and equitable world?

How can we harness technology to create a more sustainable and equitable world?
USA for UNHCR/Twitter
True

This article was produced in partnership with the United Nations to launch the biggest-ever global conversation on the role of cooperation in building the future we want. Share your voice by taking the 1-minute UN75 survey.

Technology can be—and has been—used in ways that both help and harm humanity. On the up side, advancements in digital technologies have been a huge factor in making progress on world-changing initiatives like the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals. On the downside, the misuse of technology can threaten privacy, erode individual and collective security, and fuel inequalities.

How can we harness and develop digital tools that can help us create a more sustainable and equitable world? How do we weigh the risks and opportunities of technological revolutions in global health, social media, work, and data? How can we manage technology in ways that bridge the gap between the future we want and where we are currently headed?

As part of the UN's 75th anniversary, we asked individuals and organizations to join us in a Leap Day #UpChat on Twitter to discuss these questions and how we can make leaps in technology work for us all. Here are some highlights from the enlightening, informative, and inspiring discussion.

Q1: Technology can be a great equalizer. How has it been used to improve humanity?





Q2. Which organizations or individuals are using technology for good?




Q3. How has your organization used technology to drive success towards the SDGs?





Q4: In a world of fake news, data security issues, and the darker side of social media (read: trolls), how do you stay motivated?






Q5: Misinformation is more prevalent than ever. What are your recommendations on how to address the issue?




Q6: Throughout history, technological revolutions have changed the labor force. How will it impact the future of work in the next decade?






Q7: What responsibilities do businesses and governments have as they increasingly have more access to our personal data?


Q8. What does a digital future for all look like?






Q9. How have you seen youth influence the way we use digital technology?



Q10: With the future of technology in mind, do you think that people in 2045 will be better off, worse off, or the same as you are today?



If you'd like to join our next UpChat or see previous chats on global issues, follow us on Twitter and check out @JoinUN75. You can also let your voice be heard with the UN's public survey here.

From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
technology
Community

How to end hunger, according to the people who face it daily

Here’s what people facing food insecurity want you to know about solving the hunger problem in America

True

Even though America is the world’s wealthiest nation, about 1 in 6 of our neighbors turned to food banks and community programs in order to feed themselves and their families last year. Think about it: More than 9 million children faced hunger in 2021 (1 in 8 children).

In order to solve a problem, we must first understand it. Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, released its second annual Elevating Voices: Insights Report and turned to the experts—people experiencing hunger—to find out how this issue can be solved once and for all.

Here are the four most important things people facing hunger want you to know.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pets

Family brings home the wrong dog from daycare until their cats saved the day

A quick trip to the vet confirmed the cats' and family's suspicions.

Fox 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul|YouTube

Family accidentally brings wrong dog home but their cats knew

It's not a secret that nearly all golden retrievers are identical. Honestly, magic has to be involved for owners to know which one belongs to them when more than one golden retriever is around. Seriously, how do they all seem have the same face? It's like someone fell asleep on the copy machine when they were being created.

Outside of collars, harnesses and bandanas, immediately identifying the dog that belongs to you has to be a secret skill because at first glance, their personalities are also super similar. That's why it's not surprising when one family dropped off their sweet golden pooch at daycare and to be groomed, they didn't notice the daycare sent out the wrong dog.

See, not even their human parents can tell them apart because when the swapped dog got home, nothing seemed odd to the owners at first. She was freshly groomed so any small differences were quickly brushed off. But this accidental doppelgänger wasn't fooling her feline siblings.

Keep ReadingShow less
switched at dog daycare
Health

This woman's powerful 'before and after' photos crush myths about body positivity

"Body positivity is about saying that you are more than a body and your self-worth is not reliant on your beauty."

@scarrednotscared/Instagram



Michelle Elman, a body positivity coach, helps people who are struggling to find confidence in their own skin.

After persevering through numerous medical conditions and surgeries in her own life, Elman realized a few years ago that body positivity wasn't just about size or weight. Things like scars, birthmarks, and anything else that makes us feel different of self-conscious have to be a part of the conversation, and she tries to make the movement accessible to everyone.

Sharing her own journey has been one of her most effective teaching tools.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pop Culture

Thousands of concertgoers in Poland randomly decided to sing 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and it was flawless

The music of Queen is a universal language.

Sandra Maria/Youtube, Official Lives & Music Videos/Youtube

You can't not sing this song.

The music of Queen has a profound visceral effect on everyone. Few pieces of art can cause complete strangers to put aside their differences and come together in song, but by golly, “Bohemian Rhapsody” is one of them. It would be cheesy if it weren’t so absolutely beautiful.

This pertains even to non-English-speaking countries, it appears. Recently, thousands of Harry Styles concertgoers in Warsaw, Poland, began cheering as those iconic beginning piano notes penetrated the air.
Keep ReadingShow less
celebrity
Joy

There's a wonderful reason why Mister Rogers always said aloud he's feeding his fish



On Feb. 19, 2023, "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," turned 55 years old. And the internet was feeling feelings over it.

After premiering on Canadian TV in 1963, Fred Rogers' beloved children's program debuted in the U.S. in 1968, inspiring generations of kids across North America to be more thoughtful, kinder neighbors.

Keep ReadingShow less
Education

A college student who was fed up with his classmate has gone viral for calling out his own ignorance

Don't judge a book by its cover.

You know that feeling you get when you walk into a classroom and see someone else's stuff on your desk?

OK, sure, there are no assigned seats, but you've been sitting at the same desk since the first day and everyone knows it.

So why does the guy who sits next to you put his phone, his book, his charger, his lunch, and his laptop in the space that's rightfully yours? It's annoying.

Keep ReadingShow less
Education

The 25-year-old money-saving 'bible' that millennials and Gen Zers absolutely need to read

This book has saved me thousands of dollars and changed my entire perspective on "frugality."

Photo by Josh Appel on Unsplash

"The Complete Tightwad Gazette" offers timeless money-saving advice.

Let me start by saying that young adults these days absolutely do have economics stacked against them. There's no question that stagnant wages, the unaffordability of housing, outrageous college costs, post-pandemic inflation and good ol' American corporate greed have all combined to create a tough financial reality for us all, but particularly for the millennials and Gen Zers who are starting off their adult lives feeling already underwater.

If you're in that boat, allow a Gen X auntie to give you some sage advice. Absolutely, rail against the man and shake your fist at the skyscrapers and vent on TikTok if it makes you feel better. But also, none of that is going to change super soon, so you've got to own what you actually have control over, and that's managing the money that you do have (however little it may be).

When my kids were little back in the early 2000s, my husband and I were living on one not-at-all-amazing income. I had been raised quite frugally, so I was comfortable penny-pinching as needed, but I was looking for more creative ways to stretch our dollars.

I had no idea how much one book would change my entire view of saving money—or how much money it would actually save me over the years.

Keep ReadingShow less
money saving
Trending Stories