Ryan Closner: Why I’m Coding for America

The internet is chock-full of cat memes and shopping carts. It is packed to the brim with advertisements and animated GIFs. It has pugs, James Van Der Memes, and a word-for-word remake of Susan Powter’s first workout video…with poodles.

Now, I’ll admit: I love cat memes as much as the next guy. I’ll sing along to Chocolate Rain. I’ve even been known to “burn a compact disc” once in a blue moon. I have no problem whatsoever with someone wanting to spend their evenings pouring over videos of pugs wearing sweaters–I just think that the internet is capable of more than it is being used for.

The internet has serially transformed every industry it has come across. It has revolutionized the way we communicate, allowed for unparalleled levels of accessibility in businesses, and completely altered the way we, as consumers, take in media. It is a platform with seemingly limitless potential, but it has not yet grown out of its most nascent stage.

I believe in the role of technology in the future. I believe that we can create a more efficient government. I believe that if we’re given the space to stop and ask the question: “How can we do this better,” we can fundamentally change the way that government interacts with its citizens for the better. Code for America provides just such a space, and for that reason I am proud to code for America.

You can code for America too. We’re accepting applications for the 2014 Fellowship now through July 31. Apply here: http://codeforamerica.org/apply.

Questions? Comments? Hit us up @codeforamerica.

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