In the Boston Review article “Can Technology End Poverty?“, Kentaro Toyama provides a strong case that technology is not additive but multiplicative.  As such, in cases where there is limited economic, educational, and social capacity its impact upon individuals and communities will be more limited than in those cases where there is already significant capacity.  That is to say, the impact of technology globally is to further widen existing gaps in the well-being of communities.  The author goes on to argue that to really address such gaps, the key is to recognize that investment in high-quality, universal education and institutional capacity building is foundational and must precede technology, not be accomplished simply through the introduction of technology.  I highly recommend reading this well reasoned and written article!