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Remote Amazon tribe finally connects to the internet — only to wind up hooked on porn, social media.
I find this to be both a charming, rather expectable, and yet alarming story. Perhaps more so the latter than the former. Still, I'm interested to know what others think of it.
Abstract: Starlink came to the Amazonian jungle and inflicted the Internet upon Brazil's 2,000-strong Marubo tribe which, until this unfortunate eventuation, seems to have lived life on its own terms and without the benefit of external social interference. (It's still unclear, at least to me, how they seem suddenly to have gotten hold of the iPhones and computers to enable the contemporary crisis, but, whatever....)
“When [the Internet] arrived, everyone was happy,” Tsainama Marubo, 73, told The New York Times.
“But now, things have gotten worse. Young people have gotten lazy because of the internet, they’re learning the ways of the white people.”
Heh.
Alfredo said many young Marubo men have been sharing porn videos in group chats and he has already observed more “aggressive sexual behavior” in some of them.
Double heh. (Wait. What? They've already figured out group chats?)
On a positive note, the sudden eruption of technology may have helped with some medical emergencies, such as those caused by deadly snake bites, but the jury seems to be out on the pluses versus the minuses.
Internally, there seems to be some division about whether or not this is a good thing:
Flora Dutra, a Brazilian activist who works with indigenous tribes, was instrumental in helping connect the Marubo to the Internet.
She believes anxieties about the Internet are inflated, and asserts that most tribespeople “wanted and deserved” access to the World Wide Web.
Still, some officials in Brazil have criticized the rollout to the remote communities, saying special cultures and customs could now be lost forever.
What say you?
Discussion (31)
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Anyone remember from the early days a magazine called Mondo 2000 with an editor who used the alias R. U. Sirius?
It seems that one of their favourite subjects was "teledildonics". I think I got the spelling right. They also mentioned an interesting screen saver.
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Unsurprising, hilarious, and disturbing.
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Well, they have had starlink for nine months now.
Ace has a good take and a good quote:
"Internet Phase One: This is going to connect the world and allow our scientists to work together to cure diseases.
"Internet Phase Two: People stop reading books to scan headlines. People hop on the internet to check a fact and then spend the next ten hours watching an Iceberg video about the history of Bane.
"Internet Phase Three: People stop talking to friends and family because of politics and Busty Lesbian Internet Porn.
"Internet Phase Four: Man can no longer maintain an erection unless they a Dom Stepmom is stepping on their hands in high heels. The species ends for lack of trying."
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Let's see: It's the NY Times. Disparage white people. The "activist" sees no harm done. I'm skeptical about the whole thing. Might be some kind of agenda being put forth here.
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It was maybe back in the late 90s or early 00s that one of our professors came across a journal article concerning a remote tribe in the Brazilian rainforest. The topic was whether men's attraction to thin-waisted females was innate or culturally determined. I forget which side of the argument this tribe was used as evidence for, but the point was that this remote tribe with no contact with outside culture preferred X. Our professor wrote a brief letter to the editor pointing out that the article contained a photo of a man of this remote tribe with no contact with western culture that showed him wearing a Bart Simpson t-shirt. He speculated snarkily on what cultural influence a Marge Simpson t-shirt might have had on the preference for thin- or thick-waisted women.
Last time I mentioned this, probably here on Ricochet, the professor had a link to the article on his web site, but as with other professors I've looked up recently, his website no longer has that kind of information. Back in the day he had his published letter and the photo posted on his office door, but he has been a department chair since about the time I retired and is now above such things. (He turned out to be quite a good administrator.)
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