What about internet contents for poor people?

Commonly, people talk about how important is that poor students have access to computers and internet. Even, there are measures to calculate how much a country’s GDP growths when more people gain access to these services. Nevertheless, sometimes we forget that computers and internet access are means, but not ends. They are only a tool to reach better conditions.  My question is: computers and internet access really improve poor peoples’ life?  Well, definitely the answer to this question depends how poor people use computers and internet.

After reading this week’s article, Dialing for Development by David Lehr, I have a better understanding what kind of applications could be developed for poor users’ cell phones. For example, texting about weather conditions or crop prices are good improvements in peasants’ lives.

In contrast, after reading about the initiatives to provide low cost computers and internet access in developing countries, I think something is missing. There is a lack lack of web pages and portals that address poor people necessities in developing countries.

I was trying to figure out how a poor peasant could have interest in surfing through pages as Amazon, Facebook, Ebay or Itunes. If you think it, most part of web sites and portals as Yahoo or Google applications are designed for middle urban classes, but not for poor people. It could seem stupid, but it is not.

The first time you use a computer, to continue using it you need to be attired; you need to find some benefit in it. For example, maybe an atom smasher has the potential to change my life, but I can’t figure out how is going to benefit my daily activities. Well, it is the same with computers; it is not enough to give access and computers to people from the bottom of the pyramid. A young peasant needs to find useful content in the internet to keep on using it as a tool.

In conclusion, poor people are gaining access to internet and computers are cheaper than before. This is an unstoppable trend. Well, there is an huge potential for social innovators to develop massively portals and web services for poor people. I was thinking in some examples. Look at these options and let me know your opinions:

1.       Music Online. Peasants from Mexico don’t like Lady Gaga or Jazz. They want their own music.

2.       Social Networks to provide low budget lodging. Poor people from rural areas need to travel to the city to buy/sell goods. Usually, they sleep at the streets because they cannot afford a hotel fee. A social network could put in contact poor people from cities with poor people from countryside.  Thus, peasants could get a very low budget lodgment, and poor city people could get an additional income from this.

3.       A motor search to find relatives that migrated. For example, in Mexico it is common that immigrants that came illegally to the United States, after a couple of years lose contact with their families. The opposite also happens, families that never know if its relative gained access to the United States or not. He never communicates back home.