Let them eat....cell phones?
The article in The Economist on the "digital divide" certainly has one thing right. The digital divide is not the problem, but merely a symptom of a larger more fundamental problem.
In much the same way, the digital divide is not going to be bridged by waving a magic wand and suddenly the third world looks like a scene from a Steven Spielberg movie (Ai/ Minority Report Speilberg, not Jaws/Saving Private Ryan Speilberg...you know...you know).
The article understands this concept and rather than trying to build Starbucks' (what is the plural os Starbucks? Starbucki?) with wireless Internet we chould help these nations by providing them with....cell phones?
Oh I see, so then they can use the cell phones to call Domino's and ORDER A PIZZA CAUSE THEY ARE FRICKEN STARVING! Oh if only they had cell phones in Africa then maybe that would cure the Aids epidemic. What's that? You have malaria? Here, have a cell phone. Because lord knows nothing makes me feel better then screaming into a 5 inch piece of plastic trying to find a signal even though they claim to be the "raise the bar" cell phone company, yet I have to run outside on my balcany every time my phone rings or I miss the call, then I have to haggle with the rep b/c my nighttime minutes now start at 9, when it used to be 7, and all of the sudden my voicemail doesn't work, and when I lost my phone do you think they'd replace it for free? No, of course not, of course not, so yeah, that is our gift to you underdeveloped civilizations of this planet, welcome to the club. Affordable pharmecuticals and clean water? How about for an extra $12.95 a month we just might throw in unlimited text messeging.
"Marriages don't break up on account of infedelity, it's just a symptom that something else is wrong."
"Oh really, well that symptom is *&^%ing my wife."
In much the same way, the digital divide is not going to be bridged by waving a magic wand and suddenly the third world looks like a scene from a Steven Spielberg movie (Ai/ Minority Report Speilberg, not Jaws/Saving Private Ryan Speilberg...you know...you know).
The article understands this concept and rather than trying to build Starbucks' (what is the plural os Starbucks? Starbucki?) with wireless Internet we chould help these nations by providing them with....cell phones?
Oh I see, so then they can use the cell phones to call Domino's and ORDER A PIZZA CAUSE THEY ARE FRICKEN STARVING! Oh if only they had cell phones in Africa then maybe that would cure the Aids epidemic. What's that? You have malaria? Here, have a cell phone. Because lord knows nothing makes me feel better then screaming into a 5 inch piece of plastic trying to find a signal even though they claim to be the "raise the bar" cell phone company, yet I have to run outside on my balcany every time my phone rings or I miss the call, then I have to haggle with the rep b/c my nighttime minutes now start at 9, when it used to be 7, and all of the sudden my voicemail doesn't work, and when I lost my phone do you think they'd replace it for free? No, of course not, of course not, so yeah, that is our gift to you underdeveloped civilizations of this planet, welcome to the club. Affordable pharmecuticals and clean water? How about for an extra $12.95 a month we just might throw in unlimited text messeging.
2 Comments:
I think you are missing the point. The Economist is expanding on its belief that economic development and increasing free trade will improve the economic fortunes of developing countries.
This week's Economist has a better explanation of why it thinks cellphones are key to that happening.
Regardless of you political stance, free trade not aid is the key to helping the developing world escape the grip of poverty and corruption. By finding a way to provide cheap cellphones, we could go a long way to ending that situation.
By Peter C, at 11:53 AM
Furious D,
I'm with you, and when I say I'm with you, I mean I'm with you.
I'm not going to try to tell anyone that free trade isn't key. But I don't believe in blind faith in markets...markets don't always produce positive outcomes.
Of course, the market for cell phones in Africa will, most likely, look quite different than your arrangement with Verizon.
The cell phone solution should build wealth and resources, reducing poverty. Aid can, and should, help produce the best possible circumstance for development to take root and grow.
Dare I say that proper regulation should provide direction to markets and actors to benefit people properly, so the distribution of wealth doesn't reflect the flawed allocation we see in some nations, like the US, just for example.
By brooks, at 4:59 PM
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