Technology adoption--turtle or hare?
I am generally surprised at how pervasive information technology is across the world. Internet cafes are ubiquitious, you can buy flash cards almost everywhere and the sheer reach of gsm phones is remarkable. For instance, I was able to use GPRS to get my email while floating in a ship off the Galapagos Islands.
I'm surprised because technology spread to the so-called 3rd World was a much harder proposition because it required a supportive infrastructure. What good was having a large TV if there were no stations broadcasting within your viewing range?
Many people have written about the "leapfrog effect", whereby a country can skip over an expensive technology and go right to something newer and easier to deploy. A good example is India skipping over copper telecommunication lines and going directly to cellular and satellite. The leapfrog effect is happening in spades all over the world. Countries like America, Japan and Germany provide the infrastructure and smaller countries provide the consumption. Internet power users do not require a PhD to use the Web nor must live in a high-rise condo and drive a SUV to be able to afford to purchase entry to the technology. Anyone can use a web browser. Anyone can insert a SIM card into a GSM phone.
Posted on May 30, 2007
