Kentaro Toyama Book Talk

Once he was certain that technology could save the world – but five years spent in the developing world changed his mind. “Even in an age of incredible machines, there is no social change without deep change in people,” says Kentaro Toyama, author of Geek Heresy: Rescuing Social Change from the Cult of Technology. The book traces his personal journey from super-geek (he holds a PhD in computer science from Yale) to outspoken heretic, as he came to believe that widespread distribution of technology was not the answer to addressing social ills.

“Technology is powerful, but its power depends on human users. Spreading technology doesn’t–in and of itself–solve poverty,” says Toyama. Computers in classrooms are little more than playthings without skilled teachers, committed administrators and involved parents. High-paying tech industry jobs are only available to those who already have advanced skills; little benefit trickles down to the lower echelons of society. Toyama advocates building human capacity through better education and better institutions so that people can take full advantage of technology’s promise.

Toyama is a former Microsoft researcher and co-founder of Microsoft Research India. He is currently WK Kellogg Professor of Community Information in the School of Information and a fellow of the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at MIT. He will be presenting a talk based on his book on

Wednesday, October 28 at 4:30 pm in the Rackham Amphitheatre, followed by a book signing. The event is free and open to the public.