We think of technology as a convenience reserved for those of us living in sophisticated parts of the world, but technology is changing the entire globe.
We can see the impact of technology in our schools, homes, and workplaces. It is everywhere in our culture, but you can’t see its effect on the rest of the world unless you travel globally.
Africa is the second largest mobile technology market in the world.According to a Gallup poll, these countries are adopting mobile technology at an exponential rate. Even in the poorest households, 55% of households had at least one mobile phone in 2013, whereas 80% of the richest households had at least one. As you would imagine, the urban areas were more likely to have a mobile device (80%), compared to 63% of rural households. Adoption rates and growth trends vary from country to country, but mobile technology is spreading across the African continent.
Technology is opening up global markets. Last fall, Seth Godin published anarticle referencing a man and woman connecting local shoemakers in their small Pakistani village with a global market. These craftsmen were seeing the market for their quality, handmade shoes dry up. The couple who hailed from this small village was able to connect the artisans with new markets that would both appreciate and purchase their wares. Thanks to the Internet, their craft is flourishing instead of fading away. You can read Markhor’s story on their website.
Broadband internet is coming to the most remote corners of the world.According to their website, the O3b network is launching satellites with a goal to reach the “three billion people on the planet who don’t have access to affordable, state-of-the-art broadband services.” Places like “Africa, the Pacific, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America” are creating considerable demand.
Technology is no longer a first world luxury. It is a global staple.