Technology is a neutral thing: neither good nor bad, it can change the world for the worse or for the better – sometimes both, depending on the hands it’s in.

In a recent article I was reminded of how significant a role Polaroid played in bringing the technology of photography to everyone. I’m old enough to have had a Polaroid camera when I was a kid, and it was the coolest thing: aim, click, and watch a version of the world appear on a smeary piece of plastic. With Polaroid’s technological achievements, making images was no longer the domain of experts in darkrooms toiling with paper and chemicals. By undertaking the nearly impossible, Polaroid made the world better for many people.