In a recent article from New York Times, it was said that a new Indian web site called Babajob.com is “seeking to bring the social-networking revolution popularized by Facebook and Myspace to people who do not even have computers – the world’s poor.” A lot of the technology workers are fighting against the poverty that surrounds them and wanting to learn more so that they can feed their families. It was said they did this for “less altruistic reasons, but often with positive results for the poor, corporations have made India a laboratory for extending modern technological conveniences to those long deprived.”
For example, here are some well known names in the U.S.: Nokia- ultralow-cost cellphones, Citibank had a thumbprint A.T.M to help “slum dwellers” who have difficulty with PINS, “Microsoft has even made India one of the major centers of its global research group studying technologies for the poor, the software that reads to illiterate computer users. This website even allows the poor to look for a job, and it also allows people to say what they are looking for in a worker.
In conclusion, this article really made me realize how much we Americans take for granted. When I get on the internet or use my computer I don’t even take into account all the other countries and people that don’t have access to a computer. Here in America it is almost like a necessity; everything we practically do today involves some kind of computer. I was just amazed at how India is getting a website like myspace or facebook even, I think that it shows how technology is growing for everybody. What I liked about this website the most if that the poor were able to use it and also that some well known names that are here in the U.S are helping people in India. I was most interested in the Microsoft software that read to illiterate computer users; I am glad that Microsoft allowed them to access this software to better educate themselves.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/30/technology/30poor.html?ref=asia
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