I don't have the data, but I imagine smartphones are now as
common in developing nations as in the First World. The President of The World
Bank says that for the first time the poor know how the rich live - thanks to
the images, videos and content they view on their iPhone.
Bringing a glimpse of the developed world to developing
nations can have its advantages. This LinkedIn column explains how the World
Bank along with its private sector and NGO partners are making significant
investments in Third World development: improving access to energy, jobs,
sustainable food supplies and opportunity.
Swiss Re and Oxfam America are making some of the world's most
vulnerable areas more resilient. For example, they offer an income replacement
insurance to farmers in Ethiopia and other sub-Saharan countries whose
livelihoods depend on the weather. When a drought or floods wipe out an entire
crop, the policy makes them whole. But how can these nearly-impoverished
farmers afford insurance, you ask? Instead of paying a premium, they invest in
their own sustainability by building an irrigation system!
Thanks to the smartphone, more people in the planet's
remotest areas have access to news about these initiatives. The smartphone is
shrinking the world in dramatic ways and showing us what is possible.