HardOCP News
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UN: Half The World's Population Will Be Online In 6 Months
- Thread starter HardOCP News
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Unfortunately, its mostly the retarded half. 
BTW, when it comes to Somalia and Nepal, I bet you they will be online but won't know what online means or be aware that they are. Their only interface will be through certain connected applications, but they won't have a broader sense of what the internet means or is. We see this in developing SE Asia countries already where they don't know what the internet is, but they use a preinstalled social media app on a super cheap smartphone/tablet and nothing else.
BTW, when it comes to Somalia and Nepal, I bet you they will be online but won't know what online means or be aware that they are. Their only interface will be through certain connected applications, but they won't have a broader sense of what the internet means or is. We see this in developing SE Asia countries already where they don't know what the internet is, but they use a preinstalled social media app on a super cheap smartphone/tablet and nothing else.
The UN says that almost half the world's population will be online by the end of this year.
The other half won't have running water or toilets.
It's more important they have slow unreliable internet, than food, water, or a roof over their heads.
cvinh
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I'm just glad the UN unnazied the world forever.
TwistedAegis
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Even a little "internet" or mobile communications has shown to improve all of those things by improving the economy. One of the best examples I've read of this are near-subsistence fishermen. In the past, they caught their fish, then randomly chose which local village/market to sell the extra they had, hoping people in that village needed the fish, and/or other fishermen hadn't fulfilled all the demand.
With even simple mobile phones, much less "smart" phones, they can go to the markets where demand is greatest, increasing their income as well as benefiting the consumers in those market by smoothing out supply.
Cell minutes are even becoming something of a currency in themselves, to enable all of this. Local merchants can even offer minutes as incentives, or more stable currency in unstable markets etc.
I know isn't directly "the internet" but it helps enabling many of these things. We use a lot of it as toys (consumer devices, at least), but for those 3rd world countries making the jump from no communications directly to a entry-level Nokia smartphone, it's making huge business and economic gains.
Good point, including just the ability to look up how-to information on just about anything, provided they speak English.
But I think open access to internet in many places is also helping to stir up revolutions, as the young people get their eyes opened and realize how crappy their lives are and also use the internet to organize. Supposedly the internet was a big motivator for the Arab Spring, and that's why internet censorship was such a big goal for the oppressive government.s
TwistedAegis
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Also good point. But the internet and media is a great way to push propaganda, if you can firewall yourself properly (see Russia and China). Another good article was that "modern" dictatorships aren't nearly as violent (as often), using propaganda and media to better manage their populations rather than systemic violence (NYTimes op ed I believe). Of course, they don't hesitate when they need to use it, but public beheadings aren't the norm like they used to be.