Tech companies, be it idealistic start-ups or well-established billion-dollar empires, often have lofty aspirations. Countless app makers, device manufacturers and internet companies set out to connect the planet, help people live happier, healthier, more fulfilled lives and ultimately, to quote the great Michael Jackson, heal the world and make it a better place.

But can they actually do it? Can technology help solve the world’s biggest and most pressing challenges, e.g. poverty, hunger and climate change? According to the “Digital Society Index”, a report recently published by the Dentsu Aegis Network and Oxford Economics, consumers are rather sceptical about that with only 42 percent of the 20,000 respondents from 10 countries agreeing that digital technology can help solve the biggest problems of our time.