Futures Conversations: Michael Smith on Digital Rights, Youth Power, and Community-Led Innovation
An interview series exploring how today’s leaders anticipate the future of communities, cities, and civic life.
Interview Date: May 2025
Guest: Michael Smith, Technologist, Community Leader, and Digital Equity Advocate
Topic: Technology as a Right, Youth as Leaders, and Community-Owned Futures
Michael Smith brings over 20 years of experience bridging the digital divide through technology education in both higher education and community settings. With a PhD in Information Technology and multiple digital literacy certifications, he blends academic expertise with grassroots impact. Michael’s work focuses on empowering underserved communities, anticipating future digital shifts, and ensuring access and inclusion. As a changemaker, he is committed to building a more equitable and connected future through technology.
Introduction
What if the future wasn’t just a place of possibility—but a place we all had the power to shape?
In this Seed & Signal: Futures Conversations interview, I spoke with Michael Smith, a Baltimore-based technologist, educator, and community leader whose work reimagines what’s possible when the tools of the future are placed in the hands of everyday people. At the heart of his vision is a simple idea: technology isn’t the goal—it’s the gateway.
We talked about digital rights, community-led innovation, and why youth should be trusted not just to participate in the future—but to lead it.
His vision? A world where access is a given, creativity is nurtured, and everyone—from returning citizens to grandmothers to teenagers—is seen as a builder of what’s next.
“If they dig up our tech center, I hope they find a flash drive. And I hope it shows the love.”
Michael believes that when the community writes the future, it will carry more than code—it will carry care.
Key Takeaways
The seed? Youth voice. Michael wants to center young people as the visionaries of tomorrow—not just for inclusion, but for leadership.
The quiet shift? Credentials over degrees. A revolution in education is underway, with skills-based learning, open resources, and community tech hubs transforming how we prepare for the future.
What scares him? A deepening divide. Without urgent action on digital rights, the gap between those with access and those without could become unbridgeable.
The artifact? A flash drive. One that shows youth teaching elders, returning citizens building skills, and a tech center that’s really about humanity—not hardware.
What does it feel like to talk about the future? Hopeful. Grounded. Urgent. And guided by the people who’ve been left out for too long.
Full Interview (Lightly Edited Transcript)
amalia: Imagine it’s 2055—30 years from today. What do you hope your community will experience that feels unimaginable today?
Michael: I hope technology becomes a right, not a privilege. Everyone in my community—Sandtown, Prince George’s County, and beyond—will have a quality device, reliable internet, and the ability to use them. Seniors won’t be isolated anymore—they’ll be digitally connected and valued. And young people? They’ll be tech leaders, not just users. They’ll be the ones innovating and designing the systems we’ll all depend on.
Right now, that’s not the case. But thirty years from now, I believe it can be.
amalia: What’s a shift happening now that could quietly reshape everything by 2055?
Michael: The quiet shift is in education. We’re moving from degrees to credentials—skills-based learning, open educational resources, and competency-based programs where people can learn at their own pace. That’s going to change everything.
Also: community-led innovation hubs. I see a future where people walk into neighborhood spaces with access to 3D printers, AI tools, and creative platforms that let their imagination lead. You won’t need to be an expert to build something—technology will meet you where you are.
Youth are already ahead of us. They’re blogging, creating, organizing, and monetizing in ways we weren’t allowed to. The rules have changed—and they changed them.
Finally, blockchain. Especially in developing countries, blockchain will let people bypass middlemen, verify land ownership, and receive resources directly. That could transform everything from entrepreneurship to international aid.
amalia: What’s a future that scares you—but that we could still change if we act now?
Michael: That we don’t take digital literacy seriously—and the gap grows even wider. Access alone isn’t enough. We need to talk about the quality of engagement. Are people just consuming content? Or are they building, creating, innovating?
Giving someone a device doesn’t mean they’re empowered. We need to teach people how to use tech to solve problems, express themselves, and advocate for their communities. That’s the only way we close the gap—for real.
amalia: If the future was designed by your community—not elected officials, policymakers, or corporations—what would be different?
Michael: We’d start with real needs. Our priorities would come from lived experience—not from political agendas or campaign donors.
We’d be seen not just as recipients of services, but as providers of solutions. That’s the shift. People want to contribute. We just need to value that contribution—and build systems that let it lead.
It’s like what I said about tech. Right now, we’re often consumers. But I believe the future belongs to those who create.
amalia: What seed do you want to plant today that future generations will benefit from?
Michael: Trust in youth.
We criticize young people a lot, but they know what’s coming. They’re smart, creative, and fearless. They’re not waiting for permission. They’re already leading.
The seed I want to plant is support for their leadership—now, not later. Let’s listen to them. Let’s resource them. Let’s get out of the way.
amalia: Last question. If future archaeologists arrived at CETAT and uncovered an artifact that captured the soul of what you’re building, what would they find?
Michael: A flash drive.
On it? A video showing youth mentoring elders. Returning citizens learning new skills. Neighborhoods building futures together.
It might look like tech—but really, it’s about people. It always has been.
Closing Thoughts & Invitation to Engage
Michael’s vision reminds us that technology is not the destination—it’s a tool for transformation. He invites us to imagine futures where communities don’t just receive change—they drive it. Where youth lead. Where dignity is built into the design.
And where the most revolutionary thing we can do… is believe in the people already here.
What futures would your neighborhood design?
What artifact would they leave behind?
Follow along for more conversations on the future of communities and civic life.
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