Girl, minus car phone (image courtesy of parenttalktoday.com)
A recent report by the International Telecommunications Union has revealed that over 2 billion people throughout the world will be online by the end of this year, and that around 90% of the population will have access to mobile networks (with 143 countries providing 3G services).
I remember the days when my Dad had a car phone- “for business use only, Kate, it’s expensive, no you can’t prank order a pizza to next-door”- and I used to think it was dead posh. So posh, that when we were caught in traffic on the way to my ballet class, I used to hold it against my ear and pretend to be chatting to some other equally as precocious ten-year-old on the other end. I’ve always been a trend-setter.
How interesting is it to see monks with mobiles on travels round Cambodia and Thailand? It’s great to notice these signs of the times. (And they make for killer holiday snaps….)
'Scuse me Sir, could you stand just to the right a little.... (courtesy of flickr)
Technology is taking over, but people generally seem to be happy about the invasion. A poll for BBC World Service shows that almost four out of five people believe that access to the internet is a fundamental human right. But does this mean unrestricted access, without filters or government control? (And if so, where does this leave countries like China with their heavy handed censorship?)
The possibilities are endless with handsfree (image courtesy of creativebusinessadventures.com)
The survey goes on to predict that the world will have collaboratively sent nearly 6.1trillion text messages by the end of 2010. That’s an awful lot of thumb action. In developed countries, there is an average of 116 mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people, meaning of course that a considerable number of people may have 2 or 3 mobile phone subscriptions, (like business people, or drug dealers).
By the end of the year, 71% of developed countries will be online, compared to just 21% of the population of developing countries. The report recognised that the growth in mobile phone networks in lower income countries was a catalyst for growth and marks a positive progression. Developing countries are certainly embracing a boom in mobile phones. Smarthouse magazine quotes the ITU’s Sami Al Basheer, who underlines the positive feeling: “Mobile phone penetration in developing countries now stands at 68 percent — higher than any other technology before. These countries have been innovative in adapting mobile technology to their particular needs and will be able to draw even greater benefits from broadband once adequate and affordable access is available.”
The future looks bright.
If feels like it won’t be long before we turn into the Jetsons; but ah well, they seemed happy enough.
We're turning into the Jetsons... but at least we'll be happy! (image courtesy of herospy.com)
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