Matt Flannery, CEO and co-founder of Kiva.org was recently interviewed by the Harvard Political Review (Link Here).
It's a great interview, but the final question generated a very interesting response about the ability of technology to unlock peoples' generosity and to empower them in the face of so much injustice. The empowerment, he claims, comes from ease of use. Is it all about the user experience?
Harvard Political Review: What has Kiva taught you about the world and about social entrepreneurship?
Matt Flannery: My experience working at Kiva has taught me that people are a lot more motivated and generous than you think. If you merely provide an easy way for them to channel their social motivation, their generosity is something you can unlock; if you really tap into the source, it's really powerful. When I started Kiva, I was quite pessimistic about its potential. My mind has been changed and I've been just blown away. People were looking to reach out to other people in this way--they just didn't have the opportunity. They felt disempowered. Technology and the internet can allow normal people to feel empowered again, and that's been really exciting for me.
It's a great interview, but the final question generated a very interesting response about the ability of technology to unlock peoples' generosity and to empower them in the face of so much injustice. The empowerment, he claims, comes from ease of use. Is it all about the user experience?Harvard Political Review: What has Kiva taught you about the world and about social entrepreneurship?
Matt Flannery: My experience working at Kiva has taught me that people are a lot more motivated and generous than you think. If you merely provide an easy way for them to channel their social motivation, their generosity is something you can unlock; if you really tap into the source, it's really powerful. When I started Kiva, I was quite pessimistic about its potential. My mind has been changed and I've been just blown away. People were looking to reach out to other people in this way--they just didn't have the opportunity. They felt disempowered. Technology and the internet can allow normal people to feel empowered again, and that's been really exciting for me.
Leave a comment