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Solutionism
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Treating every situation as a problem that technology can solve.
What It Means
Evgeny Morozov's critique: the reflex to reach for technical solutions before understanding whether there's a real problem. Solutionism reframes human situations as engineering puzzles — and misses what matters.
Examples
- Apps to fix loneliness instead of asking why people are lonely.
- Gamifying exercise instead of asking why people dislike movement.
- Tracking tools for problems that come from bad culture, not bad data.
Why It Matters
- Product teams bias toward building. Building feels like progress.
- Some problems are human, political, or social — tools won't fix them.
- Solutionist products often create new problems while pretending to solve old ones.
How to Avoid It
- Start with the problem, not the technology.
- Ask: would this problem still exist if no software existed? If yes, maybe software isn't the answer.
- Talk to people affected. Listen for what's missing, not what could be built.
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