Applosophy is dedicated to changing the world for the better, one app at a time. We are acutely aware of the increasingly important role that technology plays in our daily lives, and are committed to pushing the boundaries of that technology for the benefit of mankind.

For good or ill, technology now touches almost every aspect of our lives. At its best, technology can be a powerful tool to enhance our experience and understanding of the world, make our lives easier, and bring us closer together. At its worst, technology can become an overwhelming and intrusive force that dominates, and sometimes controls, our lives.

But at the end of the day, no matter how sophisticated it becomes, technology is just a tool. How we choose to use that tool is up to us. Whether we choose to use it to broaden our horizons and increase our understanding of the universe, or watch videos of idiots hitting themselves in the groin, is up to us.

But that is the great thing about the digital age: it truly gives power to the people.  Technology is the great equalizing force. It gives everyone a choice, and everyone a voice.

Part of what is so amazing about this age is the way in which every person’s voice seems to count equally. Not that all opinions have equal merit, but that everyone has the same opportunity to be heard.

When we combine these voices and use them to right a wrong or point out injustice, they can become mind-blowingly powerful. In the space of a few short years, they have toppled governments and exposed evils.

And that is one of the true marvels of the technological age: all of our sins are laid bare. Nowadays, when a vicious dictator sends thugs on horseback to beat people with whips, or when a group of peaceful protestors are tear-gassed or beaten by the police, everyone knows about it.  They pull out their cameras and chant, “The whole world’s watching. The whole world’s watching.”

…And they are. Information travels at such a rapid speed nowadays that during a recent earthquake on the East Coast, people actually heard about the quake (through phones and social media) moments before they themselves felt the shockwaves.

Through technology, the world has simultaneously become smaller, and more expansive. Sure, you can use technology to play video games with people you don’t know in other countries, but you can also use it learn about these countries and the people who dwell in them.

As it turns out, people are not so different. People everywhere want the same sorts of things (happiness, health, a decent standard of living), and face similar challenges (a struggling economy, corrupt governments, natural and manmade disasters). The more we communicate, the more apparent it will become that we are all human beings deserving of the same respect and human rights.

Perhaps technology will ultimately bring us together and usher in a new age where we actually come together to solve problems. It may be that technology is a Trojan horse hiding unimagined (and probably unintended) possibilities for positive change. It is too early to tell.

What is certain is that the potential of technology to transform our lives is now almost limitless. Whether that technology ultimately brings us closer together, or pushes us further apart, remains to be seen.

It seems that for every yin, there must be a yang. Or, as Newton’s Third Law states, “To every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” For example, social networking has become a powerful organizational and communicative tool; it has lead to the creation of popular movements for positive social change. Social networking has also led to the invention of online bullying, and more than a few resultant suicides.

Whether we ultimately use our newfound power for good, or evil, is up to us. What is clear is that we do now have a lot more power, both individually and as a group. We are more capable of shaping the world into our own image, and there is an inherent danger in that prospect. If science fiction has taught us anything, it is this: playing God is never a good idea.

In particular, children growing up in the information age have a heretofore unheard-of opportunity to shape their understanding of the world. No longer do children need to be the passive recipients of knowledge passed down to them by parents and teachers. They can now actively engage in the process of learning by choosing what, when, and how they will learn.

We will have to wait and see if this produces a generation of narcissists, or a generation that is actively engaged and prepared to face whatever challenges lay ahead of them.

In any case, the future should be exciting.

Apps are our future, apps are our lives.