The year 2013 marked a turning point in the world of internet distribution: for the first time in history, there were an equal number of mobile devices (phones, tablets, etc.) connected to the internet as there were desktops and laptops. Not only that, but there is now at least one mobile device for every person on the planet.
Due to this, there is also a rise in mobile connectivity being offered, with broadband mobile internet becoming more and more common. This allows billions of people across the globe to create and share content and information – especially individuals from developing countries.
While there are over 4.4 billion people in the world without access to a fixed internet connection, almost all of them live within the area covered by a mobile cellular signal tower. 3G internet connectivity will be the primary way via which these people will connect to the internet in the future – and an economical one, too.
While this explosion in mobile internet usage will greatly affect the way content creation works across the globe, it is important to note that mobile connectivity will not (and cannot yet) replace fixed technologies for the purpose of intensive, regular, high-end usage. Fixed connections are often more stable, of higher speed, and with less latency than mobile ones.
Together with this, there is also the fact that mobile devices lack many of the functions of full-fledged PCs. The lack of keyboards for example greatly hampers the writing and creative process, with written conversations on mobile devices often being reduced to text massages, shortened forms of speech, and signs. This greatly affects the quality of content which can be created from such mobile devices.
A certain trend is emerging from this mobile connectivity rise: there appear to be 2 sets of countries, one of which (comprised of developed countries) forms the majority of content writers, and the other (the least developed countries) is mostly made up of just consumers. Europe, the USA, and Japan are said to be responsible for over 90% of the world’s content.
This should not, however, stop us from further developing mobile internet connectivity and devices; making it so that every person in the world has access to the internet is a wondrous, monumental achievement by all accounts. We must increase and improve the infrastructure, and work to bridge this division between creators and consumers.
