May 12, 2022
#3.06 A Free, Fair and Equitable Digital Society
Everything we do in our everyday lives - from interpersonal relations to work, from travel to entertainment- are almost ubiquitously mediated through digital technologies. So much so that we can hardly prise apart the digital from the social. We live in a digital society that is increasingly complex and unpredictable, leading to new patterns in our existing social institutions and relations. While these changes bring in new opportunities, they also raise concerns about sustainability, equity and justice in a digital world. In response to some of these questions IIITB introduced an interdisciplinary MSc programme in Digital Society in 2015 which trains new-age professionals who would be ready to address complex realities of our digital worlds and to create a more inclusive digital society. As an extension of this programme, we also look to collaborate with other organizations that share this common goal and vision. Aapti, a bangalore-based research institution is one such organization. It generates public, policy-relevant, actionable and accessible knowledge from the frontiers of tech and society, about our networked lives, to support the creation of a fair, free, and equitable society.
Today, we have with us its founder Dr. Sarayu Natarajan. Sarayu’s wide expertise spans from management consulting (McKinsey and Company) to venture investing (Elevar Equity), from program development and management (Gray Matters Capital) to academic research. She has a PhD in Political Science from King's College London, a Master's in Public Policy from the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Columbia University, and a arts and law degree from the National Law School of India University, Bangalore (NLSIU). In today's episode, we will discuss Srayu’s experience of establishing Aapti and the kind of work they are dong and their future goals.