As developing countries increasingly join the networked world, what will change? Globalization is already having a huge impact on economies and societies, and it is only getting started. Though Internet access remains out of reach for much of the world's population, profound changes are occurring as connectivity spreads through India, China, and elsewhere, with significant ripple effects in the West.
The spectrum of bandwidth in India and China is broadening. Today, Indian users pay about $10 monthly for a 256 kbps broadband access as the minimum plan. Over 100 million users in each of the two countries are using the Internet. The users who participate online from these countries get a lot of recognition in their countries. Many of the English websites have Chinese counterparts. China's leading search engine leads Google locally, by a fair amount. The number of users on Chinese websites is greater than the users on their English counterparts.
Even though the Internet operates the same way everywhere, the way it will shape up will be defined by the usage behaviours observed in these countries. The proliferation of diverse cultures online will have a significant bearing on the Web and mass media. This panel examines both, how to close the currently prevelant global digital gap, and what will happen if we succeed.
Rajesh Jain is Managing Director of Netcore Solutions Pvt Ltd, a software company based in Mumbai, India. He launched IndiaWorld in 1995 whereupon it grew to be one of the largest collections of India-centric websites, comprising of Samachar, Khel, Khoj and Bawarchi. Rajesh also co-founded Novatium, Seraja and Rajshri Media. He completed his B. Tech. in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and his M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University.
Lyn Jeffery is a cultural anthropologist who has spent the last 20 years living and working between California and mainland China. At the Institute for the Future (IFTF), Lyn leads forecasting research on the future of the Chinese Internet, Chinese families and changing daily life, global work practices, work places, and new entertainment media. She is also the co-editor of China Urban: Ethnographies of Contemporary Culture, as well as author of articles on post-socialist entrepreneurialism and Chinese network marketing.
Dan Shine is the program director for 50x15, AMD's initiative to enable 50% of the world's population with affordable Internet access and computing capability by the year 2015. Prior to this role, Shine was director of marketing for AMD's Personal Connectivity Solutions Group, responsible for marketing and communicating the group's embedded strategy. Before AMD, Shine held positions at HP, 3Com and Motorola. He has more than 15 years experience in Internet solutions and rich digital media, including senior roles in global development, marketing, alliances, strategy and evangelism. Shine holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles.
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