Technology can help develop very quickly, but humane thinking helps businesses develop sustainably.
Reporter: Nowadays, digital technology is strongly dominating all areas of life. According to Associate Professor, is the role of social sciences and humanities still meaningful in this context?
Associate Professor, Dr. Do Huong Lan:As we know, the evolution of society through industrial revolutions or creative innovation all have the ultimate goal of satisfying the infinite needs of humans. When taking humans as the center, we must study humans and the value chain serving humans. More and more large enterprises and organizations in the world realize that technology cannot operate independently of the human factor. Steve Jobs (American businessman and inventor, co-founder, former chairman and CEO of Apple) once said: "Only when technology is combined with art and humanity, can we create products that make our hearts sing." This is not only Apple's philosophy but also the key to success of many large corporations in the world.
Look at companies like Google, IBM, and Walt Disney, which not only hire engineers and data analysts, but also anthropologists, cultural scientists, and even historians. These experts bring a humanistic perspective to organizations, helping them gain a deeper understanding of consumer behavior, local culture, and the ethics of technology. In the US, large companies are also increasingly hiring people with training in philosophy, history, and anthropology. That’s why social sciences and humanities are not only relevant, but also essential in the digital age and innovation.
Reporter: Some people say that social sciences and humanities are often considered academic fields, sometimes even considered "far from reality". What do you think about this opinion, Associate Professor?
Associate Professor, Dr. Do Huong Lan: This is a fairly common understanding, but reality is proving the opposite. Today's social sciences and humanities are not only "researching to know" and raising awareness, but also "researching to act". For example, in the business strategy of Unilever Group, anthropologists have studied the hygiene habits of people in rural areas in India. As a result, they have created compact, cheap soap products that meet real needs. This not only boosts revenue but also improves public health. At Google, there are two important philosophies that are based on human behavior rather than technological progress. The first philosophy is about designing products "for everyone" (Building for Everyone), emphasizing the need to combine understanding from social sciences, behavior and humanities to design inclusive technology, making "a person with any level, culture, ethnicity can use the product easily and usefully". This philosophy puts people at the center, thereby creating products that are both socially meaningful and promote sustainable innovation. The second philosophy of human resource development "Search Inside Yourself" combines emotional intelligence, neuroscience and mindfulness practices to help individuals develop self-awareness, focus and compassion, thereby improving work performance and personal happiness in a sustainable way.
In Vietnam, I see that social sciences and humanities are also playing an increasingly important and leading role in researching mechanisms and policies to serve socio-economic development, international and regional integration, and research to serve businesses, typically consumer psychology research, pain killers and gain creators in business models... We need to see social sciences and humanities as a field that contributes to creating practical and sustainable solutions.
Reporter: Can you share more about the role of humanistic thinking in large business organizations today?
Associate Professor, Dr. Do Huong Lan:Large organizations understand that technology can move very quickly, but it is humanistic thinking that keeps businesses sustainable. A prominent example is the Walt Disney Company under the leadership of Bob Iger - with a background in history and theater, thanks to which he has a deep understanding of storytelling and audience emotions. Of course, Bob Iger also has knowledge of finance, mergers and acquisitions as well as corporate governance. The combination of artistic perspective and business strategy has helped Walt Disney expand the global market, from film production to the development of iconic theme parks.
Another example is IBM, which has hired anthropologists to help study how artificial intelligence (AI) technology is used in practice, ensuring that AI systems are not only effective but also aligned with human values and needs.
Many of the biggest investors in finance and senior managers at major banks have backgrounds in the arts, aesthetics, and humanities. Studying finance and taking business courses is not difficult, especially if you have a basic understanding of people, history, and culture.
Humanistic thinking helps organizations answer important questions: Does this technology really benefit people? Does it create inequality? Technology today is both an agent, a channel, and a result of specific changes in human behavior and psychology in the new era. These changes require multi-dimensional assessment and interaction. In this way, social sciences and humanities play an important role in maintaining the balance between economic growth and social value creation.
Social sciences and humanities support startups and innovative organizations
Reporter: It is known that recently the University of Social Sciences and Humanities has begun to promote the implementation of social innovation programs. What is the Associate Professor's view on the role of social sciences and humanities in these innovation trends?
Associate Professor, Dr. Do Huong Lan:Social innovation - using technology to create creative solutions to address social and environmental challenges and contribute to creating sustainable social value - is becoming a global trend. Social innovation projects that combine humanistic thinking and technology not only bring economic benefits but also contribute to protecting the environment, improving the quality of life and addressing social inequalities.
At the 2023 Global Startup Summit in Israel - Startup Nation, with the slogan: "Startups Save the Planet", startups introduced many technological solutions to solve social and environmental problems. This conference affirmed a clear trend: technology is not only a tool, but also a bridge to solve urgent problems of people and the planet. However, for technology to truly promote its value, it needs to be led by humanistic thinking and science and technology must serve the people's livelihood. A typical example is that renewable energy startups at this Conference do not stop at developing advanced technologies such as solar energy, but also study the energy usage habits of local communities, thereby implementing culturally and economically appropriate solutions. This is proof that if technology is not linked with social and humanistic knowledge, it will be difficult to achieve optimal efficiency.
Reporter: Can you share more about how social sciences and humanities support startups and innovative organizations in sustainable development?
Associate Professor, Dr. Do Huong Lan:KHXH&NV supports startups and innovative organizations in three major aspects:
First, deep understanding of people and society: sociologists and anthropologists can study consumer behavior, cultural needs and social conditions in different regions. This helps technology products not only be suitable but also bring real value to the community.
Second, ethical orientation: Social sciences and humanities ask important questions about the impacts of technology, ensuring that innovative solutions do not harm human rights or the environment.
Fourth, increasing social acceptance: technology only succeeds when it is accepted by the community. Knowledge from social sciences and humanities helps build trust and social support for technological initiatives, narrowing gaps in cultural competition and development: the wave of technological democratization helps the humanities sector proactively conduct experiments and interact with target audiences quickly, directly, without depending on other actors in the economy.
Reporter: According to Associate Professor, what can Vietnam learn from social innovation trends in the world?
Associate Professor, Dr. Do Huong Lan:Vietnam needs to make good use of its young workforce and technological developments, while also paying more attention to the social and humanistic aspects of innovation initiatives. Some lessons we can apply include:
One is interdisciplinary cooperation: combining engineering, technology and social sciences and humanities to create more comprehensive products and policies.
Second, encourage humanistic education: include humanities subjects in the training programs in engineering, business and management. This will help the younger generation understand that social sciences and humanities are not only theoretical, but also have great practical value.
Third, invest in social innovation projects: Governments and businesses need to promote initiatives that not only generate profits but also solve social and environmental problems…
Journey to becoming a social innovator
Reporter: The University of Social Sciences and Humanities is the leading university in Vietnam in the field of social sciences and humanities. Could you share more details about the initiatives of the Institute of Policy and Management in particular and the University in general in promoting social innovation, especially the combination of technology and humanistic thinking to support young people who are not specialized in technology?
Associate Professor, Dr. Do Huong Lan:Recently, we announced the Road2Social Innovation Program of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities and will be implemented from the spring of 2025. This will be an incubation space for future social entrepreneurs. This initiative aims to promote social innovation, based on the core of humanistic thinking combined with the application of modern technology. We coordinate with domestic and foreign partners to implement activities in this Program such as:
Young Creators Program: In partnership with impact startups, founders, and global technology giant Zoho, we offer a unique scholarship program for faculty and students. This program helps develop no-code products, opening up opportunities for non-techies to create innovative solutions efficiently and easily.
"Popularizing Technology" Challenge Series: organize interdisciplinary challenges for students not only at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities but also open to students from other schools. These challenges focus on: researching technology user behavior; writing and localizing websites or applications to make them easily accessible to a wide audience; creating multimedia content, promoting the idea of "everyone using technology" to attract the community... Importantly, students will work directly with accompanying businesses, receive financial support and practical connections.
These are just two of a series of activities to promote social innovation and entrepreneurship for students under the Road2Social Innovation Program. We hope to create good projects that can bring student prototypes abroad to create international learning opportunities and open up global market access for social innovation projects.
All activities in the Road2Social Innovation initiative revolve around the philosophy of "humanistic thinking at the core". We hope to inspire students to see that humanities are not "academic", that humanistic social thinking and knowledge will be very useful and have high application value, and that technology is not a distant field, but a tool to realize profound humanistic values and make positive contributions to the community.
Reporter: Associate Professor, do you have any message to send to Vietnamese entrepreneurs and young people as well as young people who want to pursue the field of social sciences and humanities?
Associate Professor, Dr. Do Huong Lan:I want to tell young people that innovation is not just about technology or profit, but about how we use our creativity to solve the big problems of people and the planet. Humanistic thinking is the core element that helps us not only survive but also prosper in a volatile and complex world.
With their intelligence and endless creativity, Vietnamese youth can absolutely become “global changemakers” - people who not only bring glory to the country but also lead social innovation trends on an international scale. You not only have the opportunity to learn but can also shape the future of technology, business and human culture.
Be confident that Social Sciences and Humanities is not an “old”, “boring” or “outdated” field. This is where you can gain a deep understanding of people, society and culture – elements that never lose their value, no matter how the world changes. Those who pursue this field will become leaders and innovators with a humanistic mindset – a quality that is increasingly valuable in the digital age.
As Steve Jobs said: "Technology is not enough, it needs to be combined with art and humanities to create miracles." If Vietnamese youth know how to combine human intelligence with technology, I believe that you will not only make Vietnam a bright spot in social innovation but also become a symbol of the balance between technological progress and common human values in the world.
Believe in your own strength and never stop learning. You are the future of a developed, modern and humane Vietnam!
Thank you for your meaningful and inspiring sharing. We hope that your sharing will help readers realize the great role of social sciences and humanities in the age of technology and innovation.
Vietnam Journal of Science and Technology: Social sciences and humanities in the age of technology and innovation
