The motto of the Mobile World Capital Barcelona in recent years said that technology matters (Technology matters), but society, the congress and the foundation itself have evolved in such a way that this approach has become obsolete. Now a more focused approach on practical uses is in order, “with people at the center and technology as an engine of change,” according to the CEO of MWCapital, Francesc Fajula. To make it clear, the slogan has been changed and it talks about humanizing technology (Humanising technology).
“Evolve or die, and clearly we are committed to evolving,” highlights the visible face of the Mobile World Congress (MWC), John Hoffman. The new approach of the foundation that aims to extend the legacy of the congress in Barcelona during the 365 days of the year recovers the concept that José María Lassalle valued when he was Secretary of State for the digital agenda and that later tried to be channeled through the Digital Future Society (DFS). This event, organized by MWCapital with events both inside and outside Mobile, never met the high expectations placed on it when it was initially proposed as an ambitious digital Davos, a goal to which it never came close. Now it is integrated as something more transversal within the organization.
With the premise of technological humanism permeating everything, MWCapital thus changes its course. The strategic plan for the next four years approved yesterday at the foundation's board meeting held at Barcelona City Hall refocuses the objectives and simplifies the numerous programs they had with strange names in English. The intention is to concentrate the activity on promoting more tangible projects that aim to generate a positive impact on society in the face of the third digital revolution that Fajula defines as “more equitable, more inclusive and more international.”
To demonstrate this, MWCapital will annually present international awards that recognize the best sustainable digitalization projects, both public and private, aligned with the sustainable development objectives of the 2030 Agenda. Aside from this novelty and the theoretical and organizational rethinking, it will maintain its function of analyzing the sector through an observatory that publishes various annual reports.
In addition, it will give greater relevance to the function of attracting digital talent in Barcelona and will promote the technological transfer of initiatives in a more scientific field, although without wanting to be seen as the investment fund that some understood it could be in the past. In that sense, the recently appointed Minister of Digital Transformation, José Luís Escrivá, celebrated that “we are moving from planning to actions with a humanistic dimension that eliminates possible fears and reluctance of society regarding technology.”
The more humanist approach was also celebrated by the mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, who in turn raised the Catalan capital as a candidate to be “the epicenter of the development of the chip, the physical element that supports technological innovation”, demonstrating that, despite In all, technology is still very present, even if it is as a means to achieve more sustainable ends.
