Technology in the Third World

I just finished reading the Economist article on the emergence of new technology in the third world. The United Nations has made a large commitment to bring people in Third World countries into the “wired age” by making investments in computer, internet and mobile phone technology.

While I think this is a great idea, I agree with the article in that introducing technology to these areas does not address the root problem that these areas have in terms of the disparities with the developed world. The reason that these countries have no technology in place is because they need to invest the money that they have into food and necessities rather than technology which they see as a luxury item. It is a very interesting juxtaposition to think of technology as a luxury item in our society, as many would cease to function without the use of a cell phone, the internet and god forbid if we did not have Blackberries.

At work recently, our internet went down for about an hour and there was literally paralysis throughout our department. They might as well have closed our office because nothing was getting down without the internet. I often wonder what work places must have been like 20 years ago when people couldn’t waste their work days on AIM, Friendster and buying David Letterman memorabilia on E-bay. I am sure we were a lot more productive back then.

I only use this work example to underscore that our society compared to the Third World is extremely different. The rapid development of our economy has made technology a vital part of our culture and we have convinced ourselves that all of these new things are necessary in order for us to survive. When one is living in sub-Saharan Africa and making $100 annual income, getting a cell phone is not at the top of the priority list in terms of things that one should be doing with their life. While I applaud the UN’s push to bring these areas up to speed technology-wise, I think they would be better served to get to the root of the problem and help these people develop their economies.