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Created jobs, increased global trade, allowed for people to teach themselves, new types of products available, higher awareness about what is going on around yo

Created jobs, increased global trade, allowed for people to teach themselves, new types of products available, higher awareness about what is going on around you, technology share, open source, free products etc.

jrochkind1 7y ago
OK. Except for possibly "created jobs", it's not obvious to me most of those things lead to "lifting so many people out of poverty." (For instance, I suspect very strongly that "new types of products available" has nothing to do with lifting people out of poverty). I am gonna want some analysis based on actual numbers of some kind that shows the internet did those things, and it lifted so many people out of poverty. (For starters, I don't even know if fewer people are "in poverty" now than pre-internet or not!)
- _jgdh 7y ago
  Increasing global trade leads to better outcomes for those producing those goods. The greatest alleviation of poverty and creation of the largest middle class in the history of humanity happened in China starting the early 90s and that was fuelled by increased global trade made possible partly by the Internet.
- airstrike 7y ago
  > I suspect very strongly that "new types of products available" has nothing to do with lifting people out of poverty Your suspicion is wrong. GDP per capita has increased significantly in emerging markets where cheap labor creates these "new types of products", with China being the prominent example > I don't even know if fewer people are "in poverty" now than pre-internet or not! That is a well known fact, you'll just have to google it. > I am gonna want some analysis based on actual numbers of some kind that shows the internet did those things There are countless analyses on the benefits of globalization which was enabled in part by the advance of near-instantaneous telecommunication
- ThomPete 7y ago
  The invention of how to create fire or the wheel also created a bunch of jobs but also allow warmongers and thieves and murdering pyros to do their evil deeds. Every innovation has consequences short and long term.
winternett 7y ago
These jobs are shrinking as low level apps get dumbed down... The process of creating a simple web site has gotten much much more complex as scripting languages have changed. I still can't believe we're compiling code for simple phone and web sites and apps. Corporations have lobbied to take away Net Neutrality, and to institute throttling and make running a personal web site much more expensive. Social media sites de-prioritize regular users under corporate (paid) marketing posts... These days you have to pay to be seen, the Internet was originally based on having everyone on an equal playing field, and now everything is being based around the new rules to prevent us from going back. The Internet is becoming less effective because it's no longer an equal playing field. Its becoming much more expensive and complex over time to run an independent web presence, when in the past it was simple and inexpensive, I think that's the major issue.
- cle 7y ago
  The Internet is changing because people who use it are changing it. This is what happens with tools. The Internet’s current state is a reflection of our societal values, which I think is what you’re really decrying.
  - criddell 7y ago
    > The Internet’s current state is a reflection of our societal values, which I think is what you’re really decrying. I wish that were true. It feels more like the internet is a reflection of a very small number of greedy, amoral people from the bay area.
- JohnFen 7y ago
  > The process of creating a simple web site has gotten much much more complex as scripting languages have changed. If your site requires any scripting at all, it's not a "simple web site".
- smolder 7y ago
  It's actually very easy to make websites and apps now IMO, never worrying about hosting and network intrusion and things like that, but you sell out to the centralized, pervasively monitored model of the web in doing so.
smolder 7y ago
Creating jobs isn't good by itself if the work being done is to a bad end. Despite how much promise the internet has for free information, lots of people have been paid to pollute it with garbage that is the opposite of helpful. Or to spy on people so that knowledge can be used against them. The internet is a great thing technology wise, but it has enabled bad actors as much as enabling humble and well intentioned people.
- andrepd 7y ago
  >Creating jobs isn't good by itself if the work being done is to a bad end. Lots of people have been paid to pollute it with garbage that is the opposite of helpful. Or to spy on people so that knowledge can be used against them. I wish more people internalised this fact.
- ThomPete 7y ago
  I answered a specific question which was about pulling people out of poverty. Everything has consequences. I am pretty sure you would prefer the life you live now than what even kings live 300 years ago.
deleted 7y ago
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jrochkind1 7y ago

OK. Except for possibly "created jobs", it's not obvious to me most of those things lead to "lifting so many people out of poverty." (For instance, I suspect very strongly that "new types of products available" has nothing to do with lifting people out of poverty). I am gonna want some analysis based on actual numbers of some kind that shows the internet did those things, and it lifted so many people out of poverty. (For starters, I don't even know if fewer people are "in poverty" now than pre-internet or not!)

_jgdh 7y ago
Increasing global trade leads to better outcomes for those producing those goods. The greatest alleviation of poverty and creation of the largest middle class in the history of humanity happened in China starting the early 90s and that was fuelled by increased global trade made possible partly by the Internet.
airstrike 7y ago
> I suspect very strongly that "new types of products available" has nothing to do with lifting people out of poverty Your suspicion is wrong. GDP per capita has increased significantly in emerging markets where cheap labor creates these "new types of products", with China being the prominent example > I don't even know if fewer people are "in poverty" now than pre-internet or not! That is a well known fact, you'll just have to google it. > I am gonna want some analysis based on actual numbers of some kind that shows the internet did those things There are countless analyses on the benefits of globalization which was enabled in part by the advance of near-instantaneous telecommunication
ThomPete 7y ago
The invention of how to create fire or the wheel also created a bunch of jobs but also allow warmongers and thieves and murdering pyros to do their evil deeds. Every innovation has consequences short and long term.

winternett 7y ago

These jobs are shrinking as low level apps get dumbed down... The process of creating a simple web site has gotten much much more complex as scripting languages have changed. I still can't believe we're compiling code for simple phone and web sites and apps. Corporations have lobbied to take away Net Neutrality, and to institute throttling and make running a personal web site much more expensive. Social media sites de-prioritize regular users under corporate (paid) marketing posts... These days you have to pay to be seen, the Internet was originally based on having everyone on an equal playing field, and now everything is being based around the new rules to prevent us from going back. The Internet is becoming less effective because it's no longer an equal playing field. Its becoming much more expensive and complex over time to run an independent web presence, when in the past it was simple and inexpensive, I think that's the major issue.

cle 7y ago
The Internet is changing because people who use it are changing it. This is what happens with tools. The Internet’s current state is a reflection of our societal values, which I think is what you’re really decrying.
- criddell 7y ago
  > The Internet’s current state is a reflection of our societal values, which I think is what you’re really decrying. I wish that were true. It feels more like the internet is a reflection of a very small number of greedy, amoral people from the bay area.
JohnFen 7y ago
> The process of creating a simple web site has gotten much much more complex as scripting languages have changed. If your site requires any scripting at all, it's not a "simple web site".
smolder 7y ago
It's actually very easy to make websites and apps now IMO, never worrying about hosting and network intrusion and things like that, but you sell out to the centralized, pervasively monitored model of the web in doing so.

smolder 7y ago

Creating jobs isn't good by itself if the work being done is to a bad end. Despite how much promise the internet has for free information, lots of people have been paid to pollute it with garbage that is the opposite of helpful. Or to spy on people so that knowledge can be used against them. The internet is a great thing technology wise, but it has enabled bad actors as much as enabling humble and well intentioned people.

andrepd 7y ago
>Creating jobs isn't good by itself if the work being done is to a bad end. Lots of people have been paid to pollute it with garbage that is the opposite of helpful. Or to spy on people so that knowledge can be used against them. I wish more people internalised this fact.
ThomPete 7y ago
I answered a specific question which was about pulling people out of poverty. Everything has consequences. I am pretty sure you would prefer the life you live now than what even kings live 300 years ago.

deleted 7y ago

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