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Empowerment of a 'Common Man' through internet – predicted long back?
Let me drag a story I just came across. At a busy street of Kolkata, a friend of mine was looking for a taxi. The driver being responsible of his duty asked her to use the mobile app for availing a discount. Having no such app downloaded on her mobile, the driver himself helped her out with the procedures and explained the benefits of such services throughout the 40 minutes long ride. This driver is the owner of three cars which he has lent to such mobile app-driven transport network services. Observing the trend, he notified his passenger that perhaps after 3-4 months, no one can manage a cab...
Consent Before Colors
Break the challenges
Discovering my journey in the ICT field
Opinionated, as a complement
Countless times I’ve let myself off too easily. “It’s not your problem, you’re just a teenager”, are words I’ve heard again and again told to me and to many others my age. Eventually, I was deceived into believing just that. Temporarily I was enveloped by a feeling of insignificance, unimportance. In a world where chaos is so prevalent I was simply told to ignore such a thing. The justification for this was simply that I was a child. Children are harmed every single day. Whether it be at a school shooting or in one’s home, children are being hurt, injured and killed. The fact that they are a...
Holistic education in the digital era
Living in the twenty-first century, we’re witnessing digital technology permeating all areas of human life. One of them is the field of education. Nowadays at school, it’s common to use digital technologies on a daily basis. In my country, Bolivia – often perceived as a ‘developing’ country – we are witnessing a transition to a digital, community-based and pluralistic pedagogy that adds ancestral knowledge to the traditional humanistic education model. Without doubt, this is a revolutionary step, not only towards inclusion and recognition of indigenous groups within the formal education system...
Hopeless Abused
There begins my life lasting discomfort. With joy, I was filled as he assured me false protection. Doomed by the one who swore my protection. Harshly, and ungodly, he violated me. It is over, pain and emptiness are my pleasures to feel. He betrayed and stole my innocence. Diminished my self-esteem for all it contains. Why? Why? Why? I didn't ask nor did I deserve this. I didn't ask to be a woman nor am I unproud of it. Forcefully, my pride was stripped away. Unloved by the greeds in need. For life has forsaken me with the harsh reality from a rapist. How I wish I could turn back the hands of...
Cyberbullying is a serious threat
The internet has been a huge part of our lives ever since we started using it. The first time I used it was when I was 8 or 9 years old back in 2005, I used nothing but Google. Now, 14 years later, I'm quite active on my social media, following famous people's accounts and reading news from all around the world. The internet has changed, we noticed it. The good change is that a lot of information is accessible, but the bad change is cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is not an unknown term. I'm sure everybody who has social media knows about it or even has been a victim of this malicious behaviour...
Digital safety
Speak up
The bullies play a devil’s game You think you’re bad and you’re to blame So if you see them being mean To other people – intervene You’re in the right and they do wrong So don’t back off, be brave and strong Just go ahead and beat your fear Speak in a voice that’s loud and clear
Holistic education in the digital era
Changing the script: The gender problem in the tech industry
While the 20th and 21st century have seen massive improvement for gender equality, with previously unheard voices, perspectives and stories hitting the media. The #MeToo movement brought hidden issues to the surface and created the space to look at the reality of being a woman in the West despite the progress we’ve made. The UK’s mandatory gender pay disclosure brought to light how senior positions are still dominated by men. Every year it seems we learn more about inequality, but lack the ability to make real change happen quickly. This is understandable as change always takes time, but our...
Prevent atrocities against children by ending support to armed groups
As civil wars in several states escalate, the future of our children is at stake. Civil wars have left millions of children dead and thousands have been recruited as soldiers. Protection of children from mass atrocities requires unprecedented actions. In my quest to protect children I believe that, domestic and international support to armed groups to be the leading contributors of atrocities against children. First, rebels seeking and receiving domestic support from the public has led to the recruitment and arming of civilians which has created un-institutionalized military groups. With poor...
Overcoming challenges of social media in governance
Recently I have witnessed the rising of civil wars and increasing failed states with poor governance being the main reason advocated by social media users. In searching for a cure to poor governance I came to realize that public administrators have failed to use communication skills and harness the power of social media for business and government support. The world has 4.39 billion internet users out which 3.48 billion use social media. This number of social media users portrays that social media has a power to influence positive or negative changes in corporations’ and governments’...
Endless possibilities
The digital economy: Advancing the opportunities for youth in Jamaica
A Merry Christmas?
I've been reading a lot about the world war, and it's really fascinating. Most history junkies know that on the Christmas of 1914, smack-dab in the middle of World War I, there were a series of ceasefires along the western front. Soldiers crossed enemy trenches unarmed, to shake hands, exchange gifts and they even went as far as to sing Christmas carols together. Alfred Anderson, the last known surviving Scottish veteran of the war, vividly recalled Christmas Day in 1914: “I remember the silence, the eerie sound of silence. Only the guards were on duty. We all went outside the farm buildings...