"Dear Silicon Valley: Not everything can be solved with apps"

In a short but blistering article ("Dear Silicon Valley: Not everything can be solved with apps"), Engadget's Nicole Lee calls out the hubris at the center of Silicon Valley's app-mentality.

It's all part of a Messiah complex that Silicon Valley is sometimes prone to. Facebook and Twitter often pat themselves on the back for being the sites where people speak of injustice, but that doesn't mean they're beyond reproach. It's great that the official Twitter account called for racial justice, but that rings hollow when you consider the company's failure to deal effectively with the violent hate speech on its own platform.
What we really need is not an app or a tweet. We need more than just talk. We need action. There needs to be increased education, awareness, sensitivity and empathy across the board. We need the tech industry to use its enormous clout to speak to legislators, to work with people and groups who have already laid the groundwork for action. Examples includeCampaign Zero, a police-reform campaign that proposes best practices aimed at reducing police violence. It's commendable that people like Pishevar want to help, but suggesting solutions for problems you clearly don't understand doesn't help anyone.

Go read the whole thing (its short!)