Importance of Civic Technology to Communities

Many people don’t want to deal with government agencies. They think that they are just going to waste their time waiting for their turn to complete their transaction with the government. It doesn’t need to be like that, and that’s where civic technology comes into play.

What is Civic Technology?

Civic technology is technology that allows better participation in government or helps the government deliver services to citizens. By using civic technology, the government can strengthen its ties with the public.

In simple terms, civic tech is the sector that allows the public to use its talents to help the government do its job better. Civic tech projects are often mission-driven and focused on introducing changes that benefit the public. More often than not, it allows better public input into decision-making. 

Civic technology is an emerging sector that incorporates technology to help make the government more efficient, effective, and accessible. According to reports, civic tech makes up nearly a quarter of the state and local government budgets on technology.

 

Three Categories of Civic Technology

Experts divide civic technology into three categories, which are:

Citizen to Citizen – This technology improves connections among citizens and mobilizes them.

Citizen to Government –This type of tech improves the quality and frequency of interaction between government and citizens.

Government Technology – This type of civic technology allows the government to be more effective and efficient at delivering services to the citizens.

At present, civic tech is receiving a lot of support and interest from the investment community. Now is the time for tech entrepreneurs to get onto the civic tech bandwagon. Below are some examples of how civic technology is helping the community and government alike.

Be an Active Citizen

The civic tech movement has inspired people to make it easier for others to make a difference in their communities. There are platforms that allow citizens to invest in city infrastructure projects such as Neighborly.

SeeClickFix is an app that allows citizens to report and track potholes, broken streetlights, vandalized playgrounds, graffiti, and more. The platform helped addressed millions of issues reported by citizens across the nation. It also fostered better collaboration among residents, non-government organizations, local government, and the media.

Provide a Solution

Some of the civic technology platforms were born out of the challenges their founders faced. Some civic tech developers use their frustrations to come up with a solution, instead of waiting for the government to solve their problems. By providing a solution to citizens, the platform brings communities closers to each other.

While technology can’t provide the solution to every problem, civic technology offers a bright light in an area in a sector filled with pessimism. Civic tech plays an important role in empowering people to take action, whether they are public officials, engaged citizens, or entrepreneurs.

Once other local governments see technology working for their neighbors, they are more likely to embrace civic technology themselves. There’s a lot of potential in the civic tech sector as the role of technology in government continues to grow year after year.