Mark Zuckerberg, in an editorial article published on The Wall Street Journal, shared his vision of a world where everyone is connected to the Internet.
About one-third of the world, equivalent to 2.7 billion people, has access to the Internet, and Zuckerberg sees the task of putting the rest of the world online as one of the fundamental challenges that this generation is facing so that everyone can connect with their loved ones and communities.
"... Internet already accounts for a larger share of economic activity in many developed countries than agriculture and energy, and over the previous five years created 21% of GDP growth. Access to online tools lets people use information to do their jobs better and in turn create even more jobs, business and opportunities. The Internet is the foundation of this economy," Zuckerberg wrote.
By connecting the two-thirds of the world that currently don't have access to the Internet, these people will be given the ability to create and invent things that will benefit everyone. However, according to Zuckerberg, the growth of Internet adoption is at a slow rate of 9 percent per year, considering the relative youth of the Internet.
Zuckerberg taps on the common belief that the release and purchase of more smartphones will lead to more Internet access, but this is not the case as data plans for smartphones are more expensive compared to the cost of the smartphone itself. The high costs of data plans, while going to the billions of dollars spent on improving the Internet infrastructure, needs to go down so that it will be sustainable to address the Internet needs of all people at prices that are affordable. If this continues, Zuckerberg warns, people will be having smartphones but will be using them offline due to the high price of Internet access.
Zuckerberg also mentions that there are many technologies being currently researched to bring the Internet to all parts of the world, including his own Internet.org initiative that has Facebook working with other technology companies internationally to provide free basic Internet services. However, he notes that 90 percent of the global population already lives in areas which are within the range of an existing network. The people not connected to the Internet just either can't afford it or don't see the value of it.
Zuckerberg is hoping to spread free basic Internet services to all parts of the world, looking to put billions of people online within the coming decade.
Zuckerberg concluded his editorial piece by focusing on the human progress that will be brought about by connecting the whole world to the Internet. He notes that giving access to developing countries will be able to create 140 million employment opportunities and get 160 million people to ascend from poverty.
However, Zuckerberg thinks that the most meaningful change in connecting everyone to the Internet is the creation of a true global community, where the two-thirds of the world will finally be able to be part of the online community to join the one-third. Their voices and ideas will finally be heard.
