Putting the Power into Everyone’s Hands
December 9th, 2008 Posted in socialmediaCan mobile and social computing really make the world flat?
I wish I had time research the topic more as I know there has been a considerable amount of writing about the power of new technologies to make the global playing field level. Intellectually, I have long agreed with this proposition but four events have recently given this a more visceral understanding.
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Mobile access in developing countries is exploding. I returned to Senegal after an 8 year absence last Christmas and the biggest change in the interim was the explosion in mobile phones and mobile technology.
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I recently bought an iPhone and my brother-in-law (visiting from Senegal) bought an iPod touch. I can’t overstate how legitimately awestruck both of us are at what can be accomplished on these devices.
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My 2-year old daughter understands the iPhone interface and can move back and forth among the photos in the photo gallery.
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My wife’s younger siblings in Senegal are all on Facebook and use ooVoo for video chat with us here in the US.
Taken together, my broader interpretation of these events is that as soon as these incredibly powerful devices and social networking technologies get into the hands (in sufficient numbers) of people in developing countries, the digital divide will erode much faster than anyone can image. There is almost no learning curve as much of it is intuitive and there is a collective learning that speeds up the process. What the economic, social, political, environmental and ethical outcomes of this will be, I don’t dare comment on right now. All I know is LOOK OUT….
