The seeds of unrest are sown on the streets of unemployment: Algeria, Brahrain, Libya, Egypt, Lebanon, Iran. If one were to look further afield, a huge number of governments are faced with double digit unemployment, growing unrest, and a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/19/world/middleeast/19video.html?hpw">highly connected, mobile citizen-base</a>. All of which is driving massive social and economic change in ways that we've never seen before.
As we watch these revolutions play out on our computer screens, mobile phones, and TVs, the power of mobile and social technology to affect change becomes awe-inspiring, and at times, frightening.
Twitter, Facebook, mobile phones, and millions of other digital resources are forcing governments worldwide to develop Internet "kill" switches that instantly darken communications between millions of people -- all to eliminate and kill social unrest. In this connected age, we are seeing clear ideological lines being drawn that define the role of technology in different cultural and political environments.
Where technology is embraced and it's core competency of connecting people and increasing transparency is supported by governments and the private sector, we see economic activity and political freedoms flourish. Where technology is malnourished and beaten down, we see unemployment proliferate and the seeds of social unrest take root.
As these <a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/18/facebook-android-china-and-more-at-mobile-conference/?ref=technology">challenges and phenomenons spread (and they are, quickly) to China</a> and other developing nations through the affordability of mobile technology, governments must publicly wrestle with defining policies that will either result in empowerment, or embarrassment.
In the US, President Obama recently visited Silicon Valley to discuss how technology can kickstart the economy. Deploying broadband to every corner of America will generate jobs and improve livelihoods. More importantly, embracing technology will not only put the folks standing on street corners today first line for the jobs of tomorrow, but also <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/18/us/18broadband.html?ref=technology">rectify a long-standing social injustice that has already kept far too many people standing on the streets for far too long</a>. Which is why ensuring every citizen has affordable, quality access to the Internet is an essential start.
But we must also ensure fair pricing policies from Internet providers and cellphone companies if we hope to make "always-on" accessibility equally available to everyone. We cannot "price out" those who are most in need of the information that can find them jobs, healthcare, and essential financial services by favoring paying users over non-paying ones, otherwise this technical gain will be short lived.
Information wants to be free. Government investment in our communications infrastructure can create jobs today and connect workers nationwide to the jobs of tomorrow. Putting in place smart policies that make these networks and information freely available to everyone is the cheapest, fastest, and best way to kickstart an economy, put folks back to work, and ultimately uproot the seeds of social unrest.
