Technology solutionism is the term for assuming that simple technical solutions exist for all complex problems, without understanding the actual complexities. ## Oversimplification All solutionism ideas are based on oversimplification, either by underestimating the complexity of the problem or by overestimating the capabilities of available technology (hence: technology solutionism). In any case, they are fueled by ignorance to actually engage with the problem. The anatomy of technology solutionism is: * A problem that can be easily explained (*"Measuring blood sugar is hard and you need to hurt yourself to do it"*) * The problem is oversimplified to be perceived as a single process ("*It's just measuring something in the blood*") * The process is explained to be solved with very familiar technology principles to be relatable to people not familiar with the underlying complexities ("*Oh, yeah, we can look at blood from the outside, right? My Apple Watch does that right now*") In some cases solutionsim might be based on the desire to "simplify the world" (see) [[Acceleration#Current anti-movements]]). In other cases it's based on people thinking they are an expert in everything because they have mastered skills in the technology domain (some for of the [Dunning-Kruger effect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect)). Successful technology solutionism can turn into [[Futures Hallucinations]] (if no malicious intent) or [[Domesticated White Elephant]] (malicious intent). Such technology visions often utilize [[Futures Appropriation]] to gain influence. ## Example: Theranos I think Theranos wasn't meant to be a scam from the start. Instead the thought process was likely the one described above: "Surely we will find a way to make this easier." ## Example: Unfck the World There are many examples of "Let's fix really complex world-scale problems with an app". The "Unfck the World" movement was founded by 2 tech startup founders that wanted to "Fill a stadium with people to vote for initiatives in real time, which would solve climate change and stuff." [Doku „Unfck the world“ auf Joyn: Der Weltuntergang als Lösung (Kritik) (musikexpress.de)](https://www.musikexpress.de/unfck-the-world-doku-auf-joyn-der-weltuntergang-als-loesung-1827785/) Those initiatives are as obviously stupid as they sound, which makes even more puzzling why there aresc s o many of them, some founded with a lot of money. ## Example: Fyre In this example they had a good idea for an app connecting people directly with celebrities & talent (getting rid of the agent-middlemen) and then thought their knowledge of technology & marketing would translate directly to the event space. See [Fyre - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fyre)