Is a truly noble technology platform possible?

We are entering the “third platform” era of information technology. Simply put, we now have a computing platform that engages more and more people with technologies that are increasingly more widely available. The new IT era is uniting key trends, including the social media, mobility and cloud storage. While the “first platform” served geeks with mainframe computers and the second – PCs – was occupied by early adopters and teenagers, the third has ushered in the democratic age of information technology.

The statistics leave little room for doubt – a new era has dawned. International Data Corp forecasts that spending on information technology in Thailand will grow by 10.6 per cent to Bt439 billion this year, driven by four markets – smartphones, IT services, package software and storage. 

The top three spenders will be telecommunications firms, banks and manufacturers. And that’s no surprise. These three have to spend big to keep up with the competition, or else be trampled underfoot. While new technologies empower us ordinary people, they also endanger corporations in competition for our custom. Over the past few years, we have witnessed the downfall or narrow escape of telecommunications giants that should have known better. Banks are competing not only on interest rates, but also on the conveniences they can offer us. As for the manufacturers, one IT miscalculation can be enough to put them out of business.

The IT market has sped up the evolution of the laws on demand and supply. On the one hand, it’s no longer what people want that sells, but what people are made to think they want. The constant cascade of upgrades, updates and new products leaves customers thinking they constantly need to buy new gadgets.

On the other hand, IT manufacturers can’t stand still either. Rivals and copycats are forever poised and ready to take advantage. It’s getting harder and harder to balance social responsibility and business interests. 

When it comes to the availability of technologies, there’s greater “democracy”. The evidence is all around us: Smartphones light up the poorest street corners and interrupt the hush of the rural temples. 

But will the arrival of the new democratic “platform” help spread the wealth more evenly? In other words, how much wealth will flow from the platform owners to the platform users?

Whether this new digital age is a genuine social success or a failure hangs on the answer to that question. So far, we can only judge by the profits and losses of those at the highest echelons of information technology. And the numbers of computer tablets sold or cellular phones used don’t tell us the answer. 

Analysts have placed too much importance on how innovations will generate profits, and too little on, say, how cheaper monthly mobile bills are going to be.

For users, a new “platform” that is worthwhile is not one that excites corporations. 

We want a “platform” in which no one takes advantage of people. A platform that makes life easier is good, but the “tipping point” should be social as well as economic.

In a way, such a platform might be too idealistic.

Who would invest in a platform that generates low returns? But, as we have seen time and again, social change can occur when relevant products and services become cheap enough. Hopefully, the “third platform” will bring us to that point sooner rather than later.