Home / Lectures / Kentaro Toyama, University of Michigan, School of Information
Technology’s Law of Amplification and What It Means for Organizations

Kentaro Toyama, University of Michigan, School of Information
Description
Semester:
- Winter 2022
Speakers:
Lecture Time:
Fri, January 28, 2022 @ 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm
Lecture Location:
R0220, Ross building
Speaker Webpage(s):
No speaker websites available.
Introduced By:
Jim Westphal
Abstract
Over the years, the tech industry has made many promises to organizational customers — for example, that its products would improve efficiency, reduce costs, and increase scale. More recently, the promises have extended to such things as improving teamwork and decision-making. While these promises have been realized in some contexts, they remain largely unmet in others. Is there a way to distinguish between realism and hype in computing?
Technology’s “Law of Amplification” is a simple idea that captures digital technology’s impact. This talk will reveal how it explains a broad range of past and existing organizational phenomena, and how it suggests predictions for the future.
Recording & Additional Notes
Kentaro Toyama is W. K. Kellogg Professor of Community Information at the University of Michigan School of Information, a fellow of the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at MIT, and author of Geek Heresy: Rescuing Social Change from the Cult of Technology. In previous lives, Kentaro taught at Ashesi University in Ghana and co-founded Microsoft Research India, where he did research on the application of information and communication technology to international development.