One Machine and Development

A few days ago, I watched a Ted video by Kevin Kelly where he describes his vision of where the internet will be in 5,000 days. Kelly notes that technology and humanity are becoming more and more entwined--creating what he termed as "One Machine". One Machine (or OM for short) is both the next evolution of the internet and the next stage in human development. Kelly explains that through OM, everything is connected and there is freedom of exchange throughout the entire system. For example, ones thoughts and ideas are instantly shared and exchanged amongst all the participants in OM.

This got me thinking about whether people living at the bottom of the pyramid would be included in this paradigm. In a way, they are already being brought into the fold. Mobile phones are one of the most purchased items in developing countries. Although the current mobile phones in these areas (typically Nokia 1100) are not designed for internet access, how long will it be before they are? Maybe five years? Whats interesting is that the internet will give a tremendous voice to those in developing countries. In the past, if you had problems with the government or a company, and you were poor living in a rural area, you had very few options. Now all these people will be connected to one another and are capable of sharing thoughts and ideas. It would be interesting to create a Twitter like website for the BOP individuals.

Concepts like mobile banking are also examples of being part of OM. Through mobile bank, a person is now included in the global economic system. The loans payments a local entrepreneur can make are now directly connected into the electronic money system. One other thought that sticks out for me was the idea of writing and language. Both of these are tools that we human's use to interact; however, they are a poor substitute for our actual thoughts. OM has the possibility of tearing down the walls of language that prevents an American truly understanding the ideas and concepts of a African.