Black Mirror on the wall, which app is the fairest of them all?

Whether you’re a Netflix account holder or one of the many spongers that take advantage of the former, you may be excited for a certain show’s return. A new season of Black Mirror has arrived and promises to bring more bizarre looks into our possible future.

For those familiar with the show, you’ll know that each episode has a different premise around what technology could look like in the future. We get everything from human memory recorders to Uber-like rating systems for people. It’s a pretty bleak, dystopian look at our world and probably not for everyone. But in looking at the future, the show does a great job at reflecting our present day behaviours and attitudes.

It makes me wonder if our present day world is being affected by our technology obsession? We’ve already seen how manufacturing a phone can start a war. We’ve also seen how social media could potentially be bad for your mental health. So far, not so good. Thankfully, there is at least a viable alternative to war-causing phones now. And people are also figuring out ways that social media could help, instead of harm. So while it’s not all bad, we could still be better.

How can we make sure we use technology for good and not to our detriment? We previously looked at some apps that could help end poverty, but are there more we could add to the list? Below are three more apps that you can download to help end poverty.

To Good to Go

Food waste is a huge problem in the UK. Every year about 1.9 million tonnes of food is wasted in this country! That’s a crazy-amount when you consider how many people are going hungry around the world. Plus considering food waste accounts for 8% of all greenhouse gas emissions, this is a problem that is directly impacting people living in poverty. To Good to Go works by putting you in touch with restaurants and shops that are throwing will be throwing away food. But instead of reaching the bin, you can buy the food at a discounted rate and save food being wasted!

Eco Buddy

Calculating your carbon footprint can be overwhelming at times. It’s not just about catching a plane to go on holiday. Every daily decision we make, from the food we eat to the way we get to uni or work, adds up to out personal total. So how do you reduce your carbon footprint without losing yourself in all the details? Eco Buddy helps you, not only to calculate your daily carbon footprint, but also advice for how to reduce it. Think like a calorie counter, but for carbon emissions instead.

Buycott

We all know actions speak louder than words. And that means the way we spend our money says a lot about the world we want to see. So for example while you may be against single-use plastic and waste, buying from companies like Coca-Cola, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever could actually add to our rubbish problem. The difficulty is those big companies have a lot of product you may have never even considered they owned. Buycott helps you figure out what companies you want to support, depending on your personal ethical leanings. It works by scanning barcodes and providing you with information about companies. That way you can make an informed purchase (or an alternative one).

Life imitates art?

There you have it – three more apps that could help us end poverty. Hopefully our future doesn’t quite resemble some of the ones found in Black Mirror. Instead, it would be amazing if we lived in a society where people use the power of technology for good. So why not download one of the apps and start today?

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