Technology can widen access to information and participation. But its social effects are not automatic: a new tool does not guarantee a more democratic society merely by existing.
For computing professionals, wider access brings a continuing duty to learn. Tasks that once required a specialist can become easier for many more people: publishing a website, producing documents, promoting a service or administering a system.
That change is valuable. It also changes what expertise is for. An engineer’s contribution is not to guard a task simply because it used to be difficult, but to help ensure that the resulting system is appropriate, reliable and understandable.
I do not believe a degree grants exclusive authority over technology. Interdisciplinary knowledge can, however, help someone recognise connections and consequences that are not obvious when looking only at a single tool.
Greater accessibility also spreads risk. The same reduction in effort that helps a small organisation can help someone with harmful intentions. The internet is not made up only of researchers or well-meaning users; people arrive with many different aims.
Democratisation therefore needs more than availability. It needs education, usable safeguards and a realistic understanding of the systems people rely on. Helping others use technology well remains part of the work.