The World is Round
While I was in southern Chile, there was not a lot of technology. I took some time every week to write an email home, and I went to the small Internet cafes that are ubiquitous down there. They had old computers – most of them were second hand computers from the United States or Europe. The vast majority ran Windows 98, and occasionally we could find ones that used Windows XP. This was in 2005-2007. The majority of people did not own a computer. They had cell phones, but rarely were they new. Most were four or five years old, and they could not afford to buy more than a few dollars of minutes every other month to make calls. They received relatively few benefits of the flat world; but had to contribute a lot to it.
In southern Chile, they produced many exports, and had some contact with the outside world. There were some tourists, but few foreigners besides that. They had some fisheries and berry farms, and exported their salmon and berries to China, Japan, Korea, and the United States. This did not change things for the people, though. The vast majority earned minimum wage, or about $300 (USD) a month. The world may be flat for those that have a little more money, but it is not for the rest of the world. For the developing world, the world being flat just means that their work is what helps keep the standard of living high in developed countries, and they reap no real benefits beyond the low pay their jobs offer. I do not know if any of you have noticed, but for them the world is round.
