Through the years 2020 to 2023, the world is to witness the culmination of the ‘Democratization of Technology’. Democratization of Technology is the process of enhancing the affordability of Technology along with the ease of its accessibility and operability for people across the rungs education, profession, domain, and economy. The birth of this Democratization dates back to the early 1400s when the printing press was invented and was a popular tool that brought information into the very hands of people aspiring to gain knowledge. The macro-level contemporary equivalent of the printing press is the Internet, which is the source of almost all information to almost all persons.
The liberal access to the Internet brought about the democratization of knowledge, which allowed the inquisitive users to gain knowledge of all existing technologies. Further, social media has empowered users to “become contributors and critics of technological developments”. [3] The innovative inclination that is boosted by the heightened digital literacy of the Users has raised the bar of expectation for more affordable, user-friendly products. This, while mandating the creation of technologically advanced products, also has empowered the consumers to participate meaningfully in the development of digital products.
The products and services of companies like Uber, Amazon, etc., are stark examples for the blending of Technology with the daily routine of the present-day consumer. Such technical ubiquity, in addition to quenching the demand of consumers and enhancing their quality of life, has immensely improved the efficiency and profitability of the businesses, the providers of the technology. The companies that do not keep pace with the rapid digital progress are termed ‘legacy companies’ and are destined to become obsolete or be eventually taken over by their tech-savvy peers.
The infusion of technology into almost all the aspects of human livelihood has transformed the procedures and requisites for working across all professional scenarios. An article on the democratization of technology in the Forbes claims that “The proliferation of smartphones and the rise of the Cloud has ushered in the ‘future of work’, unchaining humans from their desks and introducing new levels of work flexibility. Now, software bots are introducing the ‘future of work 2.0’ — an era where human workers are freed from the assembly lines of the back office, from the condemnation of work that requires no imagination and provides no sense of accomplishment or real purpose”. [2]
The surge in the demand for digital sophistication has paved the way even for people outside of the technology industry to access and use technological products. In this perspective, a “no-code platform” [4] is one of the proposed channels for the decentralization of technology as it could empower anyone to design appropriate Apps by just dragging and dropping the required components. Not all people with answers might have the technical prowess to design a digital solution to manifest it. They might hence have a tough time coordinating with people who are technologically sound to create the desired solutions. Nevertheless, the no-code platform shall empower anyone with analytical thinking to deliver disruptive solutions that could open up dead-ends into new windows of opportunities. With no-code technology, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says, “Every business will become a software business, build applications, use advanced analytics and provide SAAS services”. [4]
According to Gartner, four key aspects are poised to accelerate the Democratization of Technology in 2020 and through 2023; they are application development, design, knowledge, and data & analytics. Gartner confirms, “By 2024, low-code application development will be responsible for more than 65 percent of application development activity. Also by 2024, 75 percent of large enterprises will be using at least four low-code development tools for both IT application development and citizen development initiatives”. [1]
Similarly, the democratization of technology has fed the channels of economic transition to cater to the need for technological innovation and optimism in technology-driven progress. Irish Tech News, an award-winning online publication asserts, “The democratization of technology has the power to change people’s lives, as it opens up a whole host of new opportunities and possibilities. It gives people new ways to make money through development, advertise and promote businesses, and invent new things. The people of today are so lucky to have access to all these things, and dreams that were previously impossible are now achievable”. [5]
Reference:
- https://www.crn.com/slide-shows/virtualization/gartner-s-top-10-technology-trends-for-2020-that-will-shape-the-future/6
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2019/11/07/the-democratization-of-technology/#24be82237967
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratization_of_technology#:~:text=Democratization%20of%20technology%20refers%20to,use%20technological%20products%20and%20services
- https://hackernoon.com/competitive-advantages-follow-the-democratization-of-technology-fddd40fe5c54
- https://irishtechnews.ie/what-is-democratisation-of-technology-and-what-could-it-lead-to/