According to a study done by The Economist (and rereported by Foreign Policy), 75 percent of the world's cell phones are in developing nations, or, 3 of the world's 4 billion subscriptions.
[For reference, in 2008, 5.5 of the world's 6.7 billion people — 82.1 percent — lived in developing nations.]
This harkens back to a discussion from the first days of class: does the ability to buy "stuff" make a society prosperous? The answer was unclear. Technology is an obvious indicator of growth, but in which direction do the causation arrows point?
Possession of a cell phone can aid development in the most simple of ways, by reminding the owner to take medication or attend a doctor's appointment. "Even the simplest, low-end mobile phone can do so much to improve healthcare in the developing world," the International Telecommunications Union reported.
In Uganda, more people have cell phones than electricity (10 percent versus upward of a third of the population). Countless non-profits are now on the ground, trying to find ways to bring necessary services to the people through their cell phones. Health advice, weather forecasts, agricultural tips and more are being disseminated to the farthest reaches of the nation via SMS messages.
Now that the technology threshold has been breached, will development follow? Can prosperity be imparted in 160-character spurts? Traditionally, technological advancement comes from development. But with the burgeoning worldwide use of cell phones, can the path be brought full circle?
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