Bhutan Enters Cyberspace

The first-ever Internet service has been inaugurated in the remote Buddhist country Bhutan, which until now has not even had television. The advent of DrukNet has earned King Jigme the nickname ''His Majesty, Light of the Cyber Age''.

from Source: BBC News (from European Journalism Centre website at http://www.ejc.nl)

The impact of cyber space on developing countries is amazing to see. Imagine to have on-line access in a country that had no paved roads before...should be some kind of culture shock anyway, I guess, specially if you had no TV before.

The impact of TV is a long and controversial discussed issue, I do not want to go into detail. To me, the arrival of western culture television is in most native countries a bad thing, not to say a bad thing from western culture, but one can witness some cultural change after such an introduction. Why a bad thing? Because it is passive media and does not give them automatically the power to create some very own content.

The introduction of the Internet in 3rd world countries should give them a complete different approach, which technically with the prototypic of ISP in balloons and Zeppelins is something that could happen soon.

Is this is a good or better thing then the usual support of those countries, with the exclusion of primary needs?

You bet so. In the last 50 years the model of help, giving them not only, but also giving them something to create their very own products (agriculture, art, raw materials, etc. etc.) has been far more successful then just to give them every year the ready made products to use as a consumer, but not also as a producer.

But actual politics still seem to have a (natural) different view. "To help the developing countries reach our standards, we must supply them with what they need to establish an industrial based civilization." said one leading European politician these days.

Her name does not matter, as this seem to be the opinion of the most politicians who are not into the cyber space or techniques.

What makes this though so amazing? I think American readers can handle it, Australians anyway, if I say that this could have also been said by US politician or some other anywhere else.

The industrial age ... people wake up, we are past that, don't you agree?

Seems our leading heads still does not seem to realize that. What is the use to bring the most achievements of the industrial age to others as with such symptoms as more chance, smog, environment catastrophes, etc.?

But how can those lead us? We will see what Darwin's law will do those men and women, not to mention mother nature.

The pollution is bringing first signs of revenge, global climate change, more hurricanes because of that, but as I said, not to mention.

So what is the use of bringing them those skills of modern society?

Nothing then making them more dependent on western nations.

But, could this just by a big chance for those countries?

Just overstep one part of the evolution of societies, agriculture oversteps industrial right into information age. Could this be possible? What advantages would those countries have over others, and what disadvantages?

For comments , questions, suggestions, etc. etc. always happy.

Wolf