Entrepreneurs: Responsibility and Wisdom 2.0
by Miki SaxonA couple of weeks ago we looked at leaders’ responsibility for the effect of their words; but what responsibility do they have for the effect of their technology?
Most people acknowledge the addictive quality of today’s technology.
Crackberries have long been a joke, but from email and texting to Angry Birds and Facebook people are staying online longer, often to the detriment of their families, their work and even their humanity.
The addictive qualities of technology have long been a subject for academics, psychologists and social scientists.
The question now is when building a product, what responsibility, if any, do entrepreneurs have for its effect on people?
That’s a question being asked by tech leaders from places such as Google, Twitter and Facebook and forming the basis for an annual event called Wisdom 2.0.
But hearing it from leaders at many of Silicon Valley’s most influential companies, who profit from people spending more time online, can sound like auto executives selling muscle cars while warning about the dangers of fast acceleration.
“We’re done with this honeymoon phase and now we’re in this phase that says, ‘Wow, what have we done?’ ” said Soren Gordhamer, who organizes Wisdom 2.0, an annual conference he started in 2010 about the pursuit of balance in the digital age. “It doesn’t mean what we’ve done is bad. There’s no blame. But there is a turning of the page.”
Wisdom 2.0 provides a forum and insights from the very leaders whose success most entrepreneurs want to emulate.
In the crush of 80 hour weeks it’s difficult to find the time or energy to consider the long-term effect of what you are doing, but it’s necessary if you are in it for more than the money.
However, the thoughts are worth having and you’ll find that creating a conversation among those who toil alongside you is a great way to share, bond, learn and grow personally, as well as build a stronger company.
Video image credit: Wisdom 2.0
