We are seeing more and more cases where Wi-Fi is expanding beyond the reach of hard-wired solutions to connect people in rural and remote areas. The Christian Science Monitor article, "India bypasses the wires to bring Wi-Fi to its remote residents" is just another example of how that is happening on the other side of the globe. What I find interesting ia a pattern within the Digital Divide community (those who seek to eliminate the have's-and-have-nots segmentation of the connected world) to take a big sigh of relief once connectivity is in place. I could easily envision a Mission Accomplished banner hanging over a computer in some remote village (yes, that is a cheap shot, 'sorry). Let's pat ourselves on the back, because the Digital Divide is conquered as soon as Wi-Fi comes to town. The playing field is level, let's go celebrate!!
Let's not break out the ticker tape yet... I need to rain on this parade, even if it is just a mist of a shower:
Check out what the next to last paragraph in the CSM article says:
The biggest challenge may not be technological, but linguistic, and developing services that give rural communities reasons to use the Internet. In Malappuram, for example, a study by professors at the University of California, Berkeley, found that just 5 percent of the traffic from the Akshaya centers related to e-governance or education. Some experts on rural technology, like Anil Gupta, a professor at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, question whether the Internet should be a priority, if people don't speak English.
- Here are the assumptions that I want to challenge, even as a supporter of extending connectivity to every corner of the globe:
- Let's not fool ourselves into thinking that e-commerce and education are the main reasons that people want to connect to the Internet...the UC Berkley study mentioned above is an example of contrast between the government's expectations and justification for the infrastructure and the reality of the end user's experience
- Let's be extremely careful in our assumptions that the entire world needs or want to connect to an English dominated commerce and communication system. The shoe could just as easily be on the other foot. Sixty-five percent of Internet users are non-English speakers. A long term change in global economies could possibly isolate the 1/3rd who currently hold the stronger hand and somewhat arrogantly tell the world that English is the world's language of business. Imagine what might happen if the Chinese decided one day that Spanish would be the language of international business...what impact would that have on the English speaking world?
- And finally, back to my remote village... I have seen first hand what happens when isolated areas of the world gain Internet access (and that is an amazing thing to witness). For now, many are satified with waiting in line for an hour of face time with an Internet connection. For them, is the Digital Divide conquered? Is the playing field level for people who depend on an Internet cafe (or a wireless McDonalds or Krystal), compared to someone like me, who is online 8-10 hours nearly every day with my personal and/or work connection?...I think not.