Tech_its_me: API - the messengers of software

Guest blogger: @tech_its_me

Technology affects our culture, politics, economy and society- I realized this a few years after moving to Sweden and since then I have stopped treating "tech" as an industry and now treat it is as fundamental skills in an increasingly digital world. My name is Tshepiso Lehutjo, early-stage startup Jnr. business coach by day and tech awareness content creator by night.

@Tech_its_me is currently an Instagram profile with the purpose of sharing my technology learnings and experiences as I explore software and hardware with a curious community of people who may not have access to the diversity of innovation as I do.

From the few weeks I have been working on @tech_its_me, I have learned about the importance of digital literacy. There is a digital divide in the world, a divide caused by various factors such as age, gender and background to name a few.

How 'tech savvy' was by the inception of tech_its_me?:

• I am aware of general programming elements, like how to use basic tags in HTML (Hello World)
• I have a relatively good understanding of elementary Python
• I have built a simple Arduino project
• Through multiple beginner workshops I have learned the basics of AI and Machine learning
• I have built my own Chatbot with Zapier integrations
• My digital literacy has definitely improved exponentially
  
  

Which tech have I explored so far at tech_its_me?
The messengers of software - API. Learning about Application Programming Interfaces has shown me once again that there is a lot of interesting things to learn and play around with within tech. Everyday we take for granted how seamless apps are able to pick information from one platform and bring them to the desired platform to complete our action.

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By attending a workshop, using 46elks telephony API I understood how businesses send SMSes to their contacts. And I tried it with one of @tech_its_me followers. (Fun fact, I have read that SMS marketing is apparently making a popular comeback in 2021). What I found most valuable during this workshop hosted by Beetroot Academy and 46elks is that APIs are openly available for all of us to use so that we don't have to reinvent the wheel when creating projects. The technology industry seems to have a spirit of ubuntu*- "I am because we are". This openness comes in handy for novice tech enthusiasts like myself because from Youtube to Skånetrafiken, you can put together the first version of your project or idea without knowing how to code every element.

Want to know more about APIs? Find my API starter pack on my Instagram page!

*An African philosophy from the Nguni people.

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