What are the basic human needs? Any wilderness survivalist would tell you that you can live long without food, water, and shelter. Psychologists might talk about the need to interact with other people. Google is trying to add internet access to that list. On a high level, I can understand their reasoning. A few weeks ago I traveled to visit some family. It was admittedly annoying to not have cellphone reception for almost the entire trip, preventing me from texting my friends. Google's Project Loon would bring cellphone reception and internet access to a greater range along my trip - though their highest priority is to provide mobile internet access to remote individuals, not travelers. On a deeper level, though, it strikes me as an odd sense of priorities. I would sooner have more food and cleaner water in Africa than internet-bearing balloons. Of course, who knows what positive effects could come from sky-high balloons floating above internet-impoverished people?
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Google earns money whenever people are on the internet. The majority of internet users will use Google, see the Google adds and watch Google owned YouTube. They most likely think of this as an investment.
ReplyDeleteJacob, on the other hand - would civilization not be more likely to follow technology? If suddenly some desert town has internet access, they now have access to the world, and the world will want to come to them. I think it could be a pretty symbiotic relationship.
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