Salute keynoter stresses importance of internet and innovation
By Meliqueica Meadows
Of the St. Louis American
“If you’re comfortable in your job, technology is about to replace you,” said Mario Armstrong, keynote speaker at the St. Louis American Foundation’s 2006 Salute to Excellence in Business Awards Luncheon held last Thursday at the Renaissance Grand.
Armstrong is the technology correspondent for ABC2 and NPR’s News and Notes with Ed Gordon. He can be seen on TV One and CNN Headline News in Maryland and hosts two radio talk shows, The Digital Café and The Digital Spin, on NPR affiliates WYPR and WEAA.
He brought a bevy of gadgets to the luncheon, including a pocket-sized laptop computer slightly larger than a Blackberry and the world’s first waterproof MP3 player, which one lucky attendee won.
“Creative innovation is moving at a rapid pace,” Armstrong said, during his speech about why technology is now more important than ever.
“Over 80 percent of today’s jobs interface directly with technology,” he said. Of particular interest to entrepreneurs seeking to hock their wares on the world market, Armstrong added that currently there are “over 957 million users online globally.”
Unfortunately, he said, African Americans are being left behind on this new wave of technological innovation. The recent trend of African Americans being passed up by white counterparts on the World Wide Web – the so-called digital divide – has expanded to what Armstrong calls the “triple divide.”
He explained the triple divide as individuals, largely minority and African-American, who are not only illiterate but also have no technology and limited internet access.
“If you’re not investing in high-speed internet access, then your kids are not competing with their peers,” he said. “We are ranked number twelve in the world, and Korea is ranked number one, in terms of technology.”
A recent Pew national survey showed 61 percent of African Americans reported using the internet compared to 74 percent of whites. A 1998 Pew survey showed more dismal numbers, with just 23 percent of African-American adults compared with 42 percent of white adults using the internet.
While the numbers appear to be improving in terms of internet access, it is the quality of access that remains a problem. Individuals newer to the internet are more likely to have less-advanced programs and have slower connection speeds.
The federal government has joined forces in the effort to bridge the digital divide by passing legislation to provide inexpensive internet access in public libraries and schools and other community institutions. And, since 1997, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has provided around 47,000 computers for 11,000 libraries to the tune of $250 million.
Armstrong said the way to decrease the triple divide is to improve technology skills.
“I want us to get past consuming technology and get our kids into engineering so that they can create technology,” Armstrong said. “Creativity starts with a mindset.”
He shared information about new and even free technology that entrepreneurs could use to increase creativity and business including a website that offers free telephone conferencing.
“If you don’t have a website, you don’t have full office space and furniture,” Armstrong said. But, he cautioned, “Don’t put it up if you’re not ready.”
“Your email should be hosted by your own web page,” he said. “You have to take the technology presence of your business seriously.”
Armstrong also described how major organizations like the NAACP and the Red Cross are using the technology of video games to increase the bottom line.
“Video games is a $30 billion industry,” he said. “And there is a serious side to them. Businesses are using this interactive medium to train individuals.”
In addition to his broadcasting career, Armstrong is the youngest person ever to serve as chief technology advocate for the city of Baltimore and is a top aide to the city’s mayor, Martin O’Malley. His position entails the development and implementation of community and economic development programs with a technological twist.
Armstrong is co-founder of the Urban Video Game Academy, which is a national non-profit educational program that seeks to increase middle- and high-school academic achievement – particularly in math, science, English and technology – through the interactive process of video game development.
He has been named one of the “Top 40 Under 40” leaders to watch by American City Business Journal and one of Baltimore’s “Top 25 Young Rising Stars” by The Baltimore Times Magazine.
Recently, Armstrong was one of six members of a Technology Delegation that traveled to Korea to meet with technology entrepreneurs to discuss possible business partnerships between America and Korea. Armstrong remains active in his community and is a former board member of the Hewlett-Packard Digital Village Program.
Armstrong said that another way entrepreneurs could bolster business is through networking, which is also a major component of success.
“Have your pitch down to 30 seconds about what your company can do,” he said.
“Find your passion. And seek ways to use technology in your lives, your careers and your business.”
For more information about Mario Armstrong and the Urban Video Game Academy, visit www.marioarmstrong.com.