Hillel

At one point I started volunteering for a violence prevention org and they were *ecstatic* to have a professional programmer volunteering. Finally, someone who could explain Google Analytics to them (I was not, sadly, able to explain Wordpress)

I'm not trying to make these people sound like idiots. I worked with incredibly intelligent people with a huge amount of important knowledge. But they didn't know technology. We're just so used to it we don't realize how incredibly complex and intimidating it is for other people

It goes both ways, doesn't it? The cryptobros were trying to solve social ills without even the barest understanding of what those ills are. That's why it's better for us to serve existing domain experts: they're already working on solutions, we can help them do so faster

I think that's the root of the problem. Tech is at its best when we're egoless and subservient, amplifying the abilities of nontechnical organizations. It's at its worst when we're in the drivers seat, when we try to create software that *by itself* "solves the world's problems".

And it's hard to be a good follower. Everybody assumes we should help by being leaders. Tech messiahs use that to justify their hamfisted "contributions", skeptics use that to reject the value of tech entirely. Neither considers augmenting the broader movement.

In short: if you're a software developer and want to improve things, here's what you can do: 1. Find an org doing work you believe in 2. Say "I'm a software dev and want to volunteer, how can I help you?" 3. Listen. And that's how tech can fix the world's problems. Fin.