{"id":26519,"date":"2019-11-01T07:34:28","date_gmt":"2019-11-01T07:34:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/new-wp\/?p=26519"},"modified":"2019-11-01T07:34:28","modified_gmt":"2019-11-01T07:34:28","slug":"empowerment-through-disruptive-technologies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/empowerment-through-disruptive-technologies\/","title":{"rendered":"Empowerment Through Disruptive Technologies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The term \u201cdisruptive technology\u201d\nmay have a negative connotation. In reality, a disruptive technology is defined\nas \u201can innovation that significantly alters the practices and operations of\nindustries or businesses.\u201d This term was first introduced by Joseph M. Bower\nand Clayton M. Christensen in their article \u201cDisruptive Technologies: Catching\nthe Wave\u201d published in Harvard Business\nReview <\/em>way back in 1995.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Innovation that \u201cdisrupts\u201d the way\nthings are done are usually in the form of a groundbreaking product or service\nthat creates a completely new industry which displaces an established industry.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pace at which disruptive\ntechnologies has brought about change in our lives is made even more apparent\nwith smart telephones becoming ubiquitous, improved wireless Internet\nconnectivity and speed, multitude of social media applications, and increased\nimportance of data science. With the advent of 5G, this pace is expected to\naccelerate further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One example of disruptive\ntechnology which has become commonplace is online or mobile transactions. These\ndays many people no longer queue at the bank or post office to do their banking\nor pay bills. Instead, smart phones with its multitude of apps have taken over\nrendering counter services almost obsolete. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many banks are downsizing by\nclosing down some branches and scaling down their workforce. The post office\nmeanwhile has to reinvent itself in order for it to remain relevant in today\u2019s\nonline world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While on the one hand, disruptive\ntechnologies are seen to be a threat to conventional work, these technologies\nhave also created new types of work which require a different type of skills\nand knowledge. The emergence of these new types of work presents a new\nchallenge for the society, industry and the government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disruptive technologies have\nimpacted many sectors such as academia, communication, banking, data storage,\nmanufacturing, medical, publishing, transportation and mass media. The impacts\ncan be seen when these technologies and innovations have the potential to\nempower a section of the society which has thus far been marginalised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, many smart gadgets and\nuseful apps have been designed to help the blind, deaf and mute to communicate\nand carry out daily activities with much greater ease than before. These\ninnovations actually allow them to become more independent, even allowing them\nto enter the workforce and contribute towards the development of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Innovations that empower disabled\npeople would disrupt the conventional notion of what is suitable work for them.\nUp till now, we often associate the blind, to take an example, with a certain\ntype of work. We stereotype them to be only suitable for work such as telephone\noperator. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, with disruptive\ntechnologies, not only can they do more complex tasks, but they would even have\nequal opportunities for a better career. Some of them have been known to be\nable to embark on professional careers such as engineers and professors in\nspite of their disabilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Islam\ngreatly encourages technologies that bring about benefits to mankind. It is\nalso equally important that the technological innovations do not bring about\nharm to anyone or anything including the environment in which we live in. The\nQuran has underlined the importance of utilising technology with great care and\ncaution so as to avoid destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            One\nfamous Quranic verse is from verse 41 of Surah al-Rum which is translated thus:\n\u201cMischief has appeared on the land and sea because of (the meed) that the hands\nof men have earned, that (God) may give them a taste of some of their deeds, in\norder that they may turn back (from evil).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For as long as the technological\ninnovation assists in strengthening the relationship between man and man while\nprotecting the environment without destroying it (thus, having a healthy man\nand environment relationship), then the technology\u2013albeit bringing about\n\u201cdisruption\u201d to what has been routine\u2013can be deemed to be beneficial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is even more important is to\nensure that these technological innovations do not distance a believer from\nGod, ensuring that the relationship between man and God remains strong. It must\nbe noted that technology is the tool of civilisation, and therefore it is\ncritical that technology is utilised in uplifting the quality of life for all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We note the many potentials that\ntechnological innovations have in empowering the disabled for example, and\nthese must be greatly encouraged. We would want the disabled to be empowered so\nthat they too can contribute towards development. Empowering those who\notherwise would not be able to contribute by making use of disruptive\ntechnologies would be a welcomed disruption to the greater good of the nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether we are prepared or not, we\nwill be facing a barrage of technological innovations that will disrupt the way\nin which we live our lives. Many of these innovations no doubt will bring about\nbenefits, but there are also potential threats that await when these\ninnovations are in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is imperative for us to be able\nto appreciate that technologies are important in spurring a nation\u2019s\ndevelopment while at the same time, be able to ensure that negative impacts\nfrom technologies are at least minimised, if not avoided altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is why the Institute of\nIslamic Understanding of Malaysia (IKIM) will be deliberating on \u201cIslam and\nDisruptive Technologies\u201d on 22 October 2019 in order to objectively identify\nthe potential benefits while identifying the risks brought about by\ntechnological innovations, as well as providing the Islamic input in tackling\ndisruptive technologies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The term \u201cdisruptive technology\u201d may have a negative connotation. In reality, a disruptive technology is defined as \u201can innovation that significantly alters the practices and operations of industries or businesses.\u201d This term was first introduced by Joseph M. Bower and Clayton M. Christensen in their article \u201cDisruptive Technologies: Catching the Wave\u201d published in Harvard Business…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_analytify_skip_tracking":false,"_wpzoom_pinterest_image_url":"","_wpzoom_pinterest_hidden_image":"0","_wpzoom_pinterest_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[225],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","category-225","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26519"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26519\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}