Why global Net expansion isn't charity
Published: 24 May 2002 10:14 BST
The Internet was supposed to single-handedly transform the developing world into a social, political and economic Mecca -- in Internet time, no less. That idea crashed with all the other wildly unrealistic predictions about the Internet's influence on life and business.
But even though the reality is starker than the initial vision, the Internet can still influence the developing world's progress just by growing. There's a historic precedent for this theory sitting in your driveway.
When the automobile started to spread across the world, it created its own economy, complete with new knowledge, jobs, skills and industries. It also changed the economics of every other industry through its ability to transport goods and people to more places than water or rail.
The auto's economic utility ensured its growth, but at the outset there was no infrastructure in place to support them -- garages, mechanics, roads -- so early car enthusiasts had to learn to fix and maintain them.
These early enthusiasts formed the seeds for new classes of mechanics, mechanical engineers and other professionals who advanced automotive technology. As they accelerated the car's development, a whole infrastructure of roads, complementary industries and services grew up around them, creating jobs, wealth and consumers. Motor transport expanded trade, improved agriculture and spawned suburban society.
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