Last night, President Obama gave his fourth State of the Union speech. This post is not about the politics of that speech, of course. Rather, I wanted to give some quick impressions I had while watching the speech as they relate to technology and the technology industry. Examples of issues that are directly touched by technology from tonight's speech include growth, job creation, intellectual property, education and innovation. Many of the challenges facing America, and the world, are being addressed/solved via technology and as a result I thought there was value in thinking about this annual marker in the American political process through the lens of technology.
First, this President, as the others that came before, touched on so many issues, too numerous to count on this blog and certainly in the dozens. Technology and collaboration interrelate to so many of these, a few I referenced above. Perhaps it is only my impression, but I found it much more common for technology and innovation to be proposed as a solution. This might be a necessary by-product of the process by which innovation occurs, and the solutions it ideally provides. It is also easier to talk about solutions via innovation, letting technology solve problems that have proved difficult to overcome. President Obama certainty employs this rhetoric, as have innumerable politicians and leaders before. Ideally, and optimistically, this language describes the better world we all hope to inhabit in the future. I know that is one of the pleasures of working here at Avaya, as I believe passionately that we are part of the solution for great, richer and more productive collaboration throughout the world.
Secondly, I was impressed with the breadth and integration of technology and communication modalities into this State the Union. It was only a few years ago that representatives took flak for tweeting during a state address. This year, there was dedicated twitter hashtags (#SOTU) and a post-speech panel of senior advisors answering questions via a tweetup, facebook and a live audience, fielding questions from throughout America and the world. One can only imagine what Ronald Reagan or FDR would have thought about these dramatic changes in communication between government and our representatives, both Republican and Democrat, much less Lincoln.
Lastly, I was taken by a reference to education centers that have used technology to streamline their operations, lowering cost to students and the public. This brief reference made me think of Avaya's web.alive, an innovative collaborative solution near and dear to my heart. For example, Web.alive is up and running at Carroll University in Wisconsin, where it is increasing the performance, agility and reach of Carroll University. Here is an excellent example of innovation and technology enhancing students' experiences, while lowering the costs and carbon footprints. A clear win-win and one that can be replicated at institutions big and small.
What did you think of the SOTU, did President Obama adequately address the role and opportunity of technology? What about Mitch Daniels' response to the State of the Union? More broadly, where do you think technology, collaboration and communication fit within the economy?
