Tech Sightings, March 25, 2014

Posted March 25th, 2014 at 2:47 pm (UTC-4)
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UN Highlights Value of Biogas from Wastewater

The UN’s latest World Water Development Report released for World Water Day highlights biogas generation from wastewater as a promising technology to provide energy in developing countries, particularly in warm climates in Asia and Africa.

Twitter Ban Sparks ‘Arms Race’ With Tech Savvy Turks

Turks are exploring more innovative ways to beat Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s ban on Twitter.  The word “workarounds” is showing in graffiti on walls in Turkey’s major cities.

More Than Half of Brazilian Households Lack Internet Access

New research by the Brazilian Institute of Applied Economic Research on the country’s telecommunications services reveals that only 40.8 percent of households have internet access. Those with no access do not own computers (59.6 percent), cannot afford Internet services (14.1 percent), have no need for internet (8.7 percent) and do not know how to use it (4.3 percent).

Wearable Tech Now Tracking When Cows Are ‘in Heat’

Fitbit, the company behind the Silent Herdsman cow collar has received a £3 million investment –  almost $5 million – to bring the collar and other services to farmers around the world. The collar is equipped with sensors that track a cow and trigger an alert if its usual pattern of behavior changes.

Study: Violent Video Games May Be Tied to Aggressive Thoughts

A new report based on data from Singapore claims that kids who often play violent video games tend to show more aggression later on than those not playing them. Experts are still undecided whether there is a connection between violent video games and later aggressive behavior.

Android Bug That Crashed Google Play Can Brick Devices Too

An Android memory corruption bug reported earlier this month by London-based researcher Ibrahim Balic could allow cybercriminals to steal data from victim’s smartphones running Android 4.0 and upwards.

Aida Akl
Aida Akl is a journalist working on VOA's English Webdesk. She has written on a wide range of topics, although her more recent contributions have focused on technology. She has covered both domestic and international events since the mid-1980s as a VOA reporter and international broadcaster.

Income Governs Internet, Mobile Use in Developing World

Posted March 21st, 2014 at 2:07 pm (UTC-4)
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Young, educated people around the world are more likely to embrace Internet and mobile technology. If you missed our recent post, the young and educated go online at higher rates than other age groups and people without a college degree. They are more likely to engage in social media interactions and more likely to own a cell phone or a smartphone.

But age and education are only part of the story. Per capita income also modulates Internet and mobile tech use, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey of 24 emerging and developing countries.

“If you are looking at the emerging and developing world, there’s a pretty strong correlation … between per capita income and the likelihood people are using these types of technologies,” said Richard Wike, Director of Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project.

Internet use, he adds, is clearly linked to national income. “If you look at the countries in our survey – places like Argentina, Chile, Russia – they have the highest rates of Internet usage. And they are also among the wealthiest countries that we sampled,” he said.

Conversely, Internet use is much lower in some of the Sub-Saharan African or Asian countries included in the survey. “These countries that have much lower per capita incomes are much less likely to have high rates of Internet usage,” Wike said.

That is true of two of the poorest countries surveyed – Pakistan and Uganda, which register some of the lowest online connectivity, with about nine-in-ten reporting that they never go online, compared to countries with higher per capita income like Bolivia or Kenya or Jordan.

In many cases, the disparity is closely linked to the class of the population. Less privileged populations, particularly working class populations trying to put food on the table, often do not have the time to socialize or acquire new skills, says Microsoft Research’s Principal Researcher, Danah Boyd, a Fellow at Harvard’s Berkman Center and a Research Assistant Professor at New York University.

And because of their situation, they tend to “want to open the doors for their children with the hopes that they can… be better off than they themselves are,” she added.

It is then no surprise that income disparities also extend to cell phone and smartphone ownership, although that scene is changing.

None of the countries surveyed had a majority saying that they own a smartphone yet, said Wike. But significant minorities in many of them say they own a smartphone. And “more than half in every country we surveyed say they own a cell phone,” he said.

In some cases, cell phones are pervasive partially due to lack of landline connections.

In Jordan, Russia, China, Chile, and South Africa, for example, “nine-in-ten or more say they own a cell phone,” Wike added. Mobile phone owners accounted for 95 percent in Jordan, 95 percent in China, 94 percent in Russia and 91 percent in South Africa.

The more expensive smartphones are less common. “Income is definitely a factor,” said Wike.

Smartphone ownership accounts for at least 20 percent in 11 countries, according to the survey. And Wike says “this may well rise rapidly over the next few years.”

Whatever the device, mobile technology is changing lives, especially in Africa. Wike says two-thirds of cell phone owners report sending or receiving payment on their mobile devices. This is particularly true of Kenya, which pioneered Africa’s mobile transactions, and to a lesser extent, Uganda.

Governments and private companies are focusing on making mobile payments available to people and encouraging them to use them. “And we see that is something that people who have cell phones have readily embraced,” said Wike.

The survey already provides evidence that “technology is a way to empower people,” he added.

“Economically, they can use it for things like making or receiving payments,” he said. “In terms of political engagement or political expression, we know that many people are going online to social networking sites and exchanging their views about important issues of the day.

Whether it’s economic or political, Wike says people are using the Internet and mobile technology to “empower themselves” and find new ways to participate in public life.

VOA’s Diana Logreira contributed to this report.

Aida Akl
Aida Akl is a journalist working on VOA's English Webdesk. She has written on a wide range of topics, although her more recent contributions have focused on technology. She has covered both domestic and international events since the mid-1980s as a VOA reporter and international broadcaster.

Tech Sightings, March 20, 2014

Posted March 20th, 2014 at 2:21 pm (UTC-4)
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How a 3-D Printed Arm Gave Hope to Boy Maimed in Sudan Bomb Blast

In Sudan’s Nuba mountains, Dr. Tom Catena is treating thousands of people who lost limbs in the country’s bloody conflict. Many of his patients are children. One is a 12-year-old boy who lost his arms in an aerial attack. While surgery saved his life, it was 3-D printing that gave him back his arms. This is his incredible story.

China Deploys Drones to Spy on Polluting Industries

China’s deputy minister of environmental protection, Zhai Qing said drones have recently been used in Beijing, Shanxi and Hebei provinces, which are some of the worst polluted areas of China.

In Hong Kong, Placing Their Bets on Bitcoin

Even as the long-term future of digital currency remains in question, many in Hong Kong are hoping cryptocurrency will fare better there than in mainland China, where the government has tightened regulation on Bitcoin exchanges.

How to Upgrade Your Brain

Some scientists claim that you can upgrade your brain. The key lies in brain implants, which enable you to learn foreign languages, upgrade memory capabilities and learn new skills.

Prisoners ‘Could Serve 1,000-Year Sentence in Eight Hours’

Philosopher Rebecca Roache says future biotechnology and psychoactive drugs could transform punishment by distorting prisoners’ sense of time and making them think they have served longer than their actual sentence.

‘Flappy Bird’ Creator Confirms His Next Game Will Be Even ‘Better’

Dong Nguyen confirmed to his Twitter followers this week that Flappy Bird will fly again. He is working on a new version of the hit mobile game, which he says will be different and better than the original.

Aida Akl
Aida Akl is a journalist working on VOA's English Webdesk. She has written on a wide range of topics, although her more recent contributions have focused on technology. She has covered both domestic and international events since the mid-1980s as a VOA reporter and international broadcaster.

Tech Sightings, March 19, 2014

Posted March 19th, 2014 at 2:20 pm (UTC-4)
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New Research Claims Microsoft’s Bing Censors More Heavily Within China Than Baidu

GreatFire, a Chinese Web monitoring service, has again raised objections that Microsoft’s Bing heavily censors within China, even more than domestic search engine Baidu. Bing came under fire last month for censoring China-related information worldwide.

Internet Currency Helps Kenya Build Water Wells

A generous member of Dogecoin, a cryptocurrency community, donated 14 million Dogecoins or about $11,000, to help Kenya build wells. The donation was done through Doge4Water, a charity set up to help Kenyans get access to clean drinking water. The digital coins will be exchanged for real money to help build the wells.

Africa’s E-Waste Nightmare

According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), e-waste – from computers and cellphones to washing machines and air conditioners – is the world’s largest growing garbage stream and one that particularly affects West Africa, where Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia and Nigeria together generate nearly a million tons of e-waste every year.

How Quickly Did Your Country Adopt the Internet?

A fascinating timeline created by Esri, marking the 25th birthday of the Internet, traces the spread of the Web across the world over the past quarter-century.

Inside the Race to Create a New App Ecosystem

Yesterday’s launch of Google’s wearable platform, Android Wear, is likely to catch the eye of developers who still face a largely fragmented wearable tech scene. Google’s initiative now offers developers the chance to write appealing apps specifically for wearables. A new report from Business Insider Intelligence makes sense of current wearable apps landscape.

Why We Need Video Games in Every Classroom

Author Jordan Shapiro argues that game-based learning encourages creative problem solving rather than memorization and that video games teach critical thinking and perseverance while building cognitive skills. In a recent talk in Dubai, he explained how video games can move people away from the culture of competition and commodified rewards.

Google Sued for Data-Mining Students’ Email

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California is currently looking at what Education Week calls a “potentially explosive” lawsuit involving Google. The search engine giant is allegedly scanning millions of students’ email messages and building “surreptitious” profiles for potential advertisers.

Aida Akl
Aida Akl is a journalist working on VOA's English Webdesk. She has written on a wide range of topics, although her more recent contributions have focused on technology. She has covered both domestic and international events since the mid-1980s as a VOA reporter and international broadcaster.

Tech Sightings, March 18, 2014

Posted March 18th, 2014 at 2:18 pm (UTC-4)
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The African Version of Amazon Will Emerge From Nigeria

Not to be outdone by Amazon, African companies in East Africa are also experimenting with a drone initiative that uses large cargo robots in a race around Mount Kenya to deliver and collect payloads. That initiative faces many challenges, though, and the future “African Amazons” are likely to be born on the other side of the continent – in Nigeria, West Africa.

Solar-Powered Toilet Turns Feces Into Fertilizing Charcoal

About 2.5 billion people don’t have proper sanitary facilities, or more specifically, toilets. Now, a team of researchers at the University of Colorado – Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – has developed a toilet that uses solar power to scorch and disinfect human waste, and turn it into a byproduct called biochar.

Wireless Electricity? It’s Here

A Massachusetts start-up called WiTricity is working on generating electricity without the need for wires. The method involves building a coil of electrical wire that generates a magnetic field when power is attached. When another coil is brought close, a wireless electrical charge can be generated.

Young South African Duo Creates Cross-Continent Mobile App

The ‘Global Entrepreneur Award’ was awarded Tuesday to William Colglazier, age 9, and Alexander Glidden, age 8, for developing the @Me-on-the-Move mobile app, which breaks new ground by working across borders, and making it easier for people to use open data to create applications that can transcend borders.

Mt Gox Users Now Can Check Bitcoin Balances on Closed Exchange

Mt Gox, which is filing for bankruptcy protection, offered Tuesday to allow users to check their balances. Users with a Mt Gox account can log in and see their accounts, though that is all that they will be allowed to do.

Most Businesses Unprepared for Cyberattack, Study Finds

Research done by the Economist Intelligence Unit and Arbor Networks has found that corporations are unprepared for dealing with escalating cyberthreats, putting their clients’ personal and financial information at risk should their systems be penetrated by hackers.

Aida Akl
Aida Akl is a journalist working on VOA's English Webdesk. She has written on a wide range of topics, although her more recent contributions have focused on technology. She has covered both domestic and international events since the mid-1980s as a VOA reporter and international broadcaster.

Fight to End Violence Against Women Goes High-Tech

Posted March 14th, 2014 at 2:04 pm (UTC-4)
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Members of the All Assam Photojournalist Association wear black sashes around their mouths to protest against the rape of a photo journalist by five men inside an abandoned textile mill in Mumbai, in the northeastern Indian city of Guwahati, Aug. 24, 2013. (Reuters)

Members of the All Assam Photojournalist Association wear black sashes around their mouths to protest against the rape of a photo journalist by five men inside an abandoned textile mill in Mumbai, in the northeastern Indian city of Guwahati, Aug. 24, 2013. (Reuters)

In an ideal 21st century world, there would be no violence – against women or any other group. The naive assumption would be that social strides would match technological progress going into a more enlightened future. But in this imperfect world, where violence against women remains a real, global phenomenon, technology is coming to the aid of those seeking to end it.

“Technology has really permeated how people are doing their work in this area,” says Joan Libby Hawk, Special Adviser for Women’s Empowerment Principles at UN Women and UN Global Compact Senior Adviser for Futures Without Violence, a non-profit organization dedicated to stopping violence against women. “And I can tell you as someone who has been involved in this work for many years … that is an astounding development,” she added.

Advocacy groups are able to reach many more people via the Internet, social media and mobile devices to alert them about human rights abuses against women and push to change social norms.

Hawk remembers how the 2012 gang rape of a young woman on a bus in India shocked the nation and galvanized people to use the Internet to organize global demonstrations demanding justice and more stringent laws against rapists.

Young people growing up in an increasingly connected world have “different sensibilities,” says Hawk. “They have a much greater sense of empowerment. And the ability to get on the Internet and raise your voice and join advocacy movements and learn about your rights … is a crucial part of it.”

Communication is key for social change, says Hawk, who also serves as a special adviser for The Communications X-Change, a digital global communications library funded by the Avon Foundation as part of a collaboration with the United Nations.

“Avon went ahead and did one before we had the Communications X-Change,” Hawk said  “And we talked to them. We put it in the context of doing something that could be global, doing something that utilized technology, doing something that built a knowledge base and raised awareness.”

The Communications X-Change is managed by Futures Without Violence, which collaborated with the Ad Council on the first public service announcement on ending violence against women and was instrumental in developing the Violence Against Women Act passed by U.S. Congress in the 1990s.

Hawk says the group recognized that messages can change behavior and that “changing attitudes and behaviors is critical to actually stopping violence against women.”

Apps for Women

  • Circle of 6: An iPhone and Android app that allows women to designate six people to alert when they feel their safety is threatened
  • Hollaback: An app that allows users to report street harassment to a local chapter. The collected data is then used for education, raising awareness and additional research.
  • Not Your Baby: An iPhone app that suggests ways to respond to sexual harassment and allows users to submit their own ideas and stories.
  • Safetpin: An Indian app that helps women keep track of their level of safety and share information about safety and sexual violence.
  • We Can! A Singapore-based video to encourage bystanders to stop violence they witness and a Facebook app on different forms of gender violence

Along these lines, a communications award marking International Women’s Day was devised in response to Avon’s interest in Futures Without Violence’ focus on communications as a tool for social norm change and to help launch and promote the website.

“We engineered the communications awards … using this time the Internet as the highway for submissions via the Communications X-Change,” said Hawk.

One of  2014’s Second Annual Avon Communications Awards finalists is SafetPin, an Indian mobile app that allows people to record their level of safety, send information about their neighborhood and talk about safety and sexual violence.

Another finalist is We Can! End All Violence Against Women. The Singapore-based effort is both a video to encourage bystanders to stop violence they witness and a Facebook app on different forms of gender violence.

Circle of 6 is an app that lets people put in the names of six acquaintances they would want to reach when they fear for their safety. “This is especially relevant … in a lot of circles where there are a lot of young people,” says Hawk.

Young people typically prefer not to call the police or even their parents when something goes wrong, says Hawk. “But they will reach out to a peer,” she said. “So this app – Circle of 6 … has been constructed for them to do that.”

These are just a few of the contributions that have been recognized for excellence in communication in the effort to put an end to violence against women. Taken separately, they do not resolve the problem of violence against women. Put together, they are certainly a step in the right direction.

 

 

Aida Akl
Aida Akl is a journalist working on VOA's English Webdesk. She has written on a wide range of topics, although her more recent contributions have focused on technology. She has covered both domestic and international events since the mid-1980s as a VOA reporter and international broadcaster.

Tech Sightings, March 13, 2014

Posted March 13th, 2014 at 2:52 pm (UTC-4)
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 Intel Lead on Conflict Minerals Helps, Challenges Other Firms

After spending more than five years figuring out how to rid its supply chain of minerals that finance conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Intel Corp is now offering to “open source” its methods so that other companies can follow suit.

Singapore Backtracks, Unveils New Bitcoin Regulations

Backtracking on a previous decision not to restrict Bitcoin transactions, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) issued a statement Thursday saying it will “regulate virtual currency intermediaries,” including Bitcoin exchange and vending machine operators.

Mt. Gox Kept Bitcoin Exchange Open Despite Knowledge of Large-Scale Theft

A sworn declaration in the filing from Robert Karpeles, Mt. Gox ‘s CEO, indicates that the bitcoin exchange may have continued to collect trading fees before shutting down its website, despite knowledge that a vast number of bitcoins had disappeared.

Chinese Tech Firms Issue Virtual Credit Cards for Online Shopping

Alipay, the payment side of China’s e-commerce giant Alibaba will collaborate with China’s CITIC Bank to issue one million virtual credit cards beginning next week. Online shopping histories will determine the creditworthiness of applicants.

FDA Approves Battery-Powered Headband That Prevents Migraines

Cefaly is the first transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) device designed for use with migraine pain, which could last for up to 72 hours if left untreated. The battery-operated, portable device, worn on top of the ears and across the forehead, stimulates the trigeminal nerve believed  to contribute to migraine pain.

Inside Japan’s Indie Games Fest

Last year, Japan’s annual Tokyo Game Show exposition added a dedicated “Indie Games Corner.” This year, the  BitSummit festival welcomed more than 5,000 visitors – a small number compared to the hundreds of thousands who visit Tokyo Game Show each year, but a significant one in a country where independent games remain outside the mainstream.

Aida Akl
Aida Akl is a journalist working on VOA's English Webdesk. She has written on a wide range of topics, although her more recent contributions have focused on technology. She has covered both domestic and international events since the mid-1980s as a VOA reporter and international broadcaster.

Tech Sightings, March 12, 2014

Posted March 12th, 2014 at 2:51 pm (UTC-4)
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The $100,000 Device That Could Have Solved Missing Plane Mystery

The search continues for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370; and the full story will only be known once the flight recorder is found. But a Canadian company already has the technology to fit a plane with a device that can stream crucial flight information to the ground.

Tim Berners-Lee: The Web Needs Its Freedom

As the World Wide Web turns 25, its creator Tim Berners-Lee, who proudly watched it grow and blossom, says the Web now needs human rights, freedom and independence to enable it to support the press.

Chelsea Clinton To Silicon Valley: Hey, You’re Supposed To Be Changing The World

Highlighting the potential of the tech industry for social good, Chelsea Clinton calls on Silicon Valley to apply its talents towards developing affordable, useful tools to help the developing world.

New Rwanda Site a Pilot for Refugee Camp Planning and Design

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has opened a new refugee camp for Congolese refugees in Mugombwa in southern Rwanda. But the new site will also serve as a pilot project for a master plan for planning, designing and building more efficient refugee camps.

Forecasters Run Social Media ‘Tornado Drill’

The National Weather Service office in Norman, Oklahoma, part of a large area known as “Tornado Alley,” has been looking for better ways to reach people. Its most recent effort is an online “tornado drill” message in English and Spanish on both Facebook and Twitter, asking people to “like,” share and retweet it, and offering tips for using the sites during severe weather.

South Africa’s Johannesburg Leads the Continent in Tweets

A New study found that Johannesburg’s metro area averages one geo-tagged tweet every 13 seconds, leading the African continent in Twitter usage.

Ghana Bamboo Bikes Initiative Empowers Women, Builds Resilience

Founded by a female entrepreneur and fueled by women’s leadership, the Ghana Bamboo Bikes Initiative trains and employs women with limited access to education to manufacture and assemble bamboo bicycles.

US Judge Freezes Assets of Mt. Gox Bitcoin Exchange Boss

A U.S. federal judge temporarily froze the U.S. assets of Mt. Gox chief Mark Karpeles and allowed alleged victims of the failed bitcoin exchange to demand proof of what they deem as massive fraud. The digital currency dealer ceased operations last month and filed for bankruptcy, claiming it may have lost bitcoins worth hundreds of millions of dollars to hackers.

Aida Akl
Aida Akl is a journalist working on VOA's English Webdesk. She has written on a wide range of topics, although her more recent contributions have focused on technology. She has covered both domestic and international events since the mid-1980s as a VOA reporter and international broadcaster.

Tech Sightings, March 11, 2014

Posted March 11th, 2014 at 2:21 pm (UTC-4)
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Limitations of Technology in Tracking Missing Planes

Technology is a wonderful thing – with apps for just about everything these days. So how then can a big Malaysian passenger jet simply disappear without any electronic way of tracking it?

Crowdsourcing the Search for Malaysia Flight 370

A Colorado satellite imaging company has launched an effort to crowdsource the search for Malaysia flight 370, which recently disappeared without a trace. The project asks the public to help analyze images for any sign of the missing plane.

Mt. Gox Files US Bankruptcy, Opponents Call it a Ruse

Once the world’s largest bitcoin exchange, Mt. Gox received U.S. bankruptcy protection on Monday to stop traders alleging the company is a fraud from taking legal action.

Bitcoin Confidence Game is a Ponzi Scheme for 21st Century

As the third Bitcoin exchange hits the dust and hackers continue to tap into the coffers of the digital currency, flagging trust and demand are likely to drive Bitcoun value through the floor.

The Future of the Internet: Dark and Ubiquitous

Experts foresee the Internet becoming more integrated in everyday life in the future, with wearable technology becoming the norm. Others warn against the widening digital divide and increasing government surveillance and control.

NGOs Call for Boycott of Apple Products Over Worker Safety

Two advocacy groups hold a press conference Wednesday to call for a boycott of Apple products for allegedly endangering the health of workers at factories operated by Apple’s partners in China.

How Oculus Rift is Helping NASA Find Life on Other Planets

Oculus Rift is a gaming virtual reality headset, also known as Oculus Rift VR headset .Now, it is moving far outside the confines of computer gaming.  An ambitious NASA project to hunt for life on other planets is now using the VR headset as an engineering testing ground.

Aida Akl
Aida Akl is a journalist working on VOA's English Webdesk. She has written on a wide range of topics, although her more recent contributions have focused on technology. She has covered both domestic and international events since the mid-1980s as a VOA reporter and international broadcaster.

Youth at Forefront of Global Internet Use

Posted March 7th, 2014 at 2:00 pm (UTC-4)
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If you are under 30, you are probably one of the young people leading the global charge in Internet and mobile technology.

Young people are “particularly likely to use the Internet. They are particularly likely to engage in social networking,” said Richard Wike, Director of Pew Research Center’s Global Attitude Research.

“They are particularly likely to own cell phones and to own smartphones,” he said. “So it is young people and in particular, you know, those under age 30 who are … showing real interest in these types of technologies and embracing them and using them in their own lives.”

A recent Pew Research survey of 24 emerging and developing countries reveals a “universal finding” that “young people just seem more open to using these types of devices.” said Wikes. They are the ones that “start learning about technology, and they are the ones on the cutting edge of incorporating them in different ways in their own lives,” he added.

Young people typically like to explore, take risks, and figure out how they fit into the broader world around them, said Microsoft Research‘s Principal Researcher, Danah Boyd, a Fellow at Harvard’s Berkman Center and a Research Assistant Professor at New York University.

“A lot of technology has been adopted by young people because they see this possibility of connecting,” she said. “It fits into their dynamics of sociality. It fits into their desires to hang out, to connect with other people. That’s why they want to use it.”

Young people, says Boyd, “look at technology more with an eye of all that they have to gain, whereas a lot of adults start thinking about all that they have to lose.”

Nevertheless, a lot of parents see in the Internet a learning potential for their kids.

“A lot of adults are giving young people access in order to hopefully make them part of a global world, part of a technology ecosystem, part of a future,” Boyd said. “And I think that this is where it becomes a strange dynamic because adults don’t recognize how their lives can be truly transformed by these same technologies as well.”

Technology 25

People use the Internet and their mobile devices in different ways. But the survey shows that most people use the Internet to access social media websites, connect with family and friends, and share views on various topics. When using mobile phones or smartphones, they favor texting. In 22 out of 24 countries, the survey found that most cell phone owners send text message or take pictures or videos with their phones. At least half of them in 15 countries use their devices for text messaging, photo or video capture.

Young people focus more on social media. Wike says this age group accesses social media sites “for things like staying in touch with the family and friends, posting their views about politics or religion or other topics … Young people really are at the leading edge of these types of changes.”

This age group also leads others in Internet access. The survey found double-digit age gaps between those under 30 and those 50 and older in every country polled. In 19 countries, the gap was more than 30 percent. Those who are online account for at least half of 18-29 year-olds in 14 out of 24 nations surveyed. Most people in the 24 countries polled are still offline

A significant age gap also appears in every country polled on mobile and smartphone ownership. For example, 69 percent of 18-29 year-olds In China have a smartphone, so do 62 percent in Lebanon, 55 percent in Chile, 53 percent in Jordan and 50 in Argentina. Overall, people under 30 are more likely to own an iPhone, Blackberry, or an Android device.

And the more educated people are, the more likely they are to use different types of technology, be it Internet, cell phones or smartphones.

“Using these types of technologies is correlated with education,” Wike said. “The correlation is certainly not as strong as age. But people with a college education, for example, are more likely to use these types of things.”

In 10 nations polled, people with college degrees were more likely to own smartphones than those who have not graduated from college. This is especially true in the Middle East, where, in Egypt for example, 72 percent of college graduates have smartphones, compared with 13 percent of Egyptians without a college degree.

In China, 83 percent of college graduates said they owned a smartphone. Only 37 percent of those without a college degree said the same.

So if you’re young, educated – and no, you don’t have to be handsome for this – then you’re more likely to be on the cutting edge of technology use.

That’s the real power of the Internet, says Boyd – allowing people around the globe to connect with one another. And to be able to interact with someone in another part of the world across language and culture barriers, is “phenomenal,” she said.

“There’s all this potential that is really untapped of how we use these technologies to truly and meaningfully connect with others, and if we embrace that, the sky’s the limit in terms of what we can achieve,” she said.

VOA’s Diana Logreira contributed to this report.

Aida Akl
Aida Akl is a journalist working on VOA's English Webdesk. She has written on a wide range of topics, although her more recent contributions have focused on technology. She has covered both domestic and international events since the mid-1980s as a VOA reporter and international broadcaster.