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Internet.org: Altruistic, Or the Ultimate In Cynicism?

Posted by Unknown on from the something-like-that dept.

Nerval's Lobster writes with one take on an effort to "make Internet access available to the two-thirds of the world who are not yet connected": "In conjunction with a variety of partners (including Nokia, Opera, Qualcomm and Samsung), Facebook is launching Internet.org, which will try to make Internet access more affordable to more people. The partnership will also work on ways to lower the amount of data necessary to power most apps and Internet experiences, which could help people in areas with poor connectivity access online services, and devise incentives for businesses and manufacturers to offer customers more affordable access. Why would Facebook and its partners want to connect another 5 billion people to the Internet? Sure, there are altruistic reasons — people online can access information that will improve or even save their lives. But for Facebook, more people online equals more ad revenue, which equals more profit. Social networking in the developed world is reaching a saturation point, with a significant percentage of the population already on one (or more) social networks; only by expanding into developing nations can Facebook and its ilk maintain the growth rates that Wall Street demands. In a similar vein, building devices and services accessible via weaker Internet connections would open up a whole new customer base for the app developers and manufacturers of the world. In theory, Internet.org plans on enlisting a variety of nonprofits and 'experts' to help in its effort; but the initial announcement only lists for-profit companies among its constituency. NGOs, academics and the aforementioned experts will apparently arrive 'over time.' So is this effort really charitable, or a cynical attempt to break into new markets?"

9 of 174 comments (clear)

  1. For once Bill Gates is right by ebno-10db · · Score: 4, Insightful

    As much as I hate to admit it, for once Bill Gates is right. People who lack enough decent food or sanitation, and suffer from chronic diseases and lack of even the most rudimentary health care, have things they need more than the Internet.

    1. Re:For once Bill Gates is right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The difference is the motivation to provide 'aid'. Gates want to help people stay alive and facebook wants more users.

    2. Re:For once Bill Gates is right by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 4, Insightful

      As much as I hate to admit it, for once Bill Gates is right. People who lack enough decent food or sanitation, and suffer from chronic diseases and lack of even the most rudimentary health care, have things they need more than the Internet.

      Except those basics are often unavailable because of a lack of good government, and good government almost never happens without an informed population.

    3. Re:For once Bill Gates is right by jythie · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Advertisers often will pay big bucks to get into emerging markets. Companies will sometimes take a decade of loss in order to ingrain themselves with some new population, or even better make that population dependent on their product while it is still cheap/free (example: free baby formula)

    4. Re:For once Bill Gates is right by 1s44c · · Score: 4, Interesting

      no gates wants people to stay dependant on bill gates and his charity.

      No. Bill Gates is trying to buy a name as a good guy. He wants to be remembered for doing good, not for shady but successful business practices.

    5. Re:For once Bill Gates is right by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 4, Informative

      Why was this modded flamebait? It's an opinion.

      Because it is demonstrably false, and only posted to elicit a reaction. Thus it is flamebait.

      BG's charity is NOT set up to produce dependency. He is not giving away food, he is trying to cure diseases, improve literacy, etc. If polio or malaria is eradicated, it is gone, and there is no ongoing dependency. Improved literacy makes people less dependent on charity. Etc.

      The dependency cycle is a big problem with government-to-government aid (mostly food handouts and military aid). It is rarely a problem with the type of bottom-up aid that BG is doing.

    6. Re:For once Bill Gates is right by Jharish · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I've never really 'liked' Bill Gates, but I have admired the fact that he's a tycoon who got to where he is by not exploiting third world non-white people as most other billionaires do.

      If you think about it, the 'shady but successful business practices' really only screwed other rich white people and didn't enslave entire third world countries and rape their resources like most other non-tech billionaires. For that, I see BG as an evolutionary step forward in the ecosystem of greedy business men.

  2. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  3. Effects of Globalization by stewsters · · Score: 3, Funny

    If you teach a kid to fish, he can eat cholera infested fish for the day. If you teach a kid to program, he can get himself a sub-minimum wage outsourced job from the other side of the world and still make more than his entire village.