Negroponte: A Complete Genius or Complete Nutter?

Although clearly Photo-shopped, the image says it all; who actually benefits from projects like the ‘One Laptop per Child’ scheme? Brian Winston critiques Nicholas Negroponte’s ‘sophisticated yet affordable laptop’ proposition as he undermines his argument and blatantly names him the Marie Antoinette of the 21^st Century. After having visited their official website I am reminded of gestures that organizations like Trade Aid, who seem genuinely wanting to help others. It seems that the negative hype surrounding the controversial issue is largely based on the idea that the money could be spent otherwise on more proactive ways that would directly benefit these communities in terms of providing them with sufficient basic needs to survive. What critics like Winston easily dismiss are the numerous other organizations like World Vision and Child Fund that are taking place simultaneously that are already collecting donations and funds from people around the world to provide such basic means for survival, although arguably more money could be spent in this area. Negroponte attempts to mitigate the digital divide between first and third world countries, whereby knowledge and education can be seen as an intervention to breaking the poverty cycle in the long-run. If the software and internet access to all kinds of information for example, have the potential to teach those to live off the land, build communities, gain technical skills and eventually have the opportunity to work ‘anytime and anyplace’ as the internet promises, then why not?

Idealistically, it is a generous gesture to help those in need and providing education for third world countries where the poverty cycle may be considered the norm. In terms of what such effects of cheap mass-produced technologies may be doing, as Winston suggests towards the article, is creating increasingly sophisticated and more affordable technology that other corporations can efficiently imitate and distribute to developed countries. In addition to this, even before the economic turmoil and recession hit we have seen many jobs disappearing as corporations attempt to maximize profits and efficiency. Local residents are made redundant as their positions were outsourced to third world countries so that ‘we’ living in developed countries, can have increasingly more affordable access on the behalf of countries living below their means. Will the negative effects of globalization be the outcome of such schemes? If we continue to outsource work to locations with the lowest wages, worker protection, health and safety benefits, are people in developing nations any better off? Perhaps the ‘One Laptop per Child’ scheme is a start to something more revolutionary; whether it is implementing collective intelligence or creating ‘social/smart mobs’ that can potentially overthrow corrupt government officials—only time will tell.