Holiday observation thread.
1. Technology so often means cutting edge advancements, latest and greatest gadgets and hype driven by marketing machines.
But what we are seeing here in a very rural area of South Africa, with quite literally unimaginable levels of inequality, is the use of technology that is wonderfully enabling and for greater human good. It's really refreshing, and at the same time, leaves one ashamed at the metrics we use for technology use.
#TLHHTraveling
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2.This came home to me when we were at some little town, and, on getting out of the car, were accosted by sellers of ware, all desparate to make a sale. "I am $NAME. Please come back to me on your return." was the standard way of staking their claim. If one buys from them, they are grateful. "Thank you for supporting me," is a common phrase, even in some shops. But we were sitting in a coffee shop, and I looked out of the window, and one of these salespeople was on his phone.
#TLHHTraveling
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3. In that moment, I felt such gratitude that we live in this age of technology. Here was a very poor man, able to communicate, perhaps with his far-distant family, perhaps with suppliers, but almost certainly improving his life. There are more well-documented examples of how technology is used in areas like this, in ways that we in the west may well sneer at, but which improve lives and especially, give greater agency to those who have little or remain dispossessed.
#TLHHTraveling
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4. Later, we were in a supermarket which had a mobile phone section. A quick glance showed the cheapest mobile at around £10 - €11. They were not fruit-themed devices, obviously, or maybe not even google-tentacled, but they had enough smarts to them to help people's lives. There were of course also much more expensive phones (in the spirit of this post I'm not saying the range "went up" from there.)
#TLHHTraveling
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5. These observations also left me with quite a sense of shame about the ways we so often chase delusions, corporate agendas of "progress" and desire, and so easily forget the important parts of technology, the ways it helps human interaction. In my own case, this is unacceptable; for example, when I was at school I would be lucky to speak to my parents on the phone once a quarter, and for perhaps 3 minutes. My life would have been different with modern communication.
#TLHHTraveling
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6. Here's a link about technology helping in the area we'll be near next week. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/may/07/scaling-up-the-app-thats-transforming-lives-in-south-african-fishing-communities
I wonder what else we'll notice, and how much we'll have the opportunity to re-assess our comfortable, but often, oh so idiotic, lives
#TLHHTraveling

@withaveeay great thread, thank you.

@barfilfarm Oh, thanks. I wasn't sure I was making myself clear.

@highvoltage All true, from our perspective, and perhaps our perspective only, which is partly what I was trying to get across.