As we wrap up the fall semester, Shift SC is ready to launch into spring 2022 with our first full cohort of Shifties. It’s been super exciting for us to create an organization full of purpose, personality, and great people (love you Shift fam💜). It’s also been a joy to hear others express their excitement for our upcoming initiatives like Digital Well-Being Workshops, an Ethics in AI Curriculum, and USC’s first Tech4Good Student Symposium.

But before we look too far ahead, let’s take a moment to look back: How did we get here? What’s the story behind Shift?

My experience as a CS major at USC the last few years has felt like a comprehensive tech bro curriculum. I’ve built apps at hackathons, dabbled in some Viterbi research, and like many of my peers, fell into the Daddy Elon Musk rabbit hole for some time.

Honestly, it’s hard not to get lost in the hype. We live in a world where smartphones enable super-human communication, Google instantaneously answers any question you offer it, and everyone and their aunt wants to found a startup. Amazing, right? As college students, it’s especially exciting to consider the endless possibilities of better tech.

Yet amidst all the oohs and aahs, the bag and clout, and the glitz and glam, the social issues created by innovation are largely overlooked. Social media algorithms now push political parties towards more negative advertisements to maximize views. Engaging user interfaces keep us spending more time than we would like on our devices. Self-driving cars are predicted to push millions into the gig economy without benefits or dependable pay.

All the tech hype crowds out the most important topics:

  • How is human well-being affected by personal devices and apps?
  • Where exactly is the balance between automation and meaningful work?
  • What is the role of government in ensuring an equitable and safe technological future?

Just as these concerns became especially predominant for me, I decided to act on my long-standing interest in mindfulness by staying at a Buddhist monastery last summer. Living as a monk, I embarked on several silent 10-day Vipassana meditation courses and committed many hours to mindful service. The combination of an aescetic lifestyle, deep meditation, and altruistic teachings slowly shifted my perspective on tech. My anxious worries melted away; what filled the gap was a hope for a technological future better aligned with human values and a commitment to driving that shift.

Technological progress should not purely be measured by efficiency and convenience but also by quality of life—both how that progress adds to it and subtracts from it. We need to be more intentional with how we shape and govern the digital tools that now seem to shape and govern our lives. Ultimately, human well-being and societal welfare must be at the center of how we innovate.

I felt drawn to engage further in these conversations but wasn’t quite sure where or how to. Not having any friends in this space, I sent out a slew of cold emails and LinkedIn DMs (alas, how helpful the internet can be!). I was fortunate enough to meet John, a USC student, and Professor Warford, a Viterbi Professor, who similarly noticed the lack of attention given to social issues stemming from tech.

  • Adam: “isn’t it crazy that these questions hardly get touched on?”
  • John: “completley agree. I wish there was a student org at USC centered around the ethics and values of tech”
  • Adam: “well… why don’t we start one ourselves?”
  • John: “😮🤔😏”

Enter: Shift SC

Interested in reading more? Check out what it’s like to join a semester cohort of Shift from Rachel.Amir or read more about human-centered and socially responsible tech from John.