In today's digital age, almost everyone is connected to the Internet—and now, thanks to Elon Musk's StarlinkEven remote tribes Amazon Rainforest.
While most of the world has spent decades coming to grips with the impact of the internet, groups like residents of indigenous Amazon villages are grappling with screen distractions, digital misinformation and pornography addiction.
New York Times reporter Jack Nicas and photographer Victor Moriyama hiked about 50 miles (80 kilometers) into the rainforest to Maruhiro VillageThere, they saw firsthand how indigenous tribes were working to maintain traditional culture and connect online with the rest of the world.
Starlink arrives in Brazil in 2022, making high-speed digital connectivity possible. This product from SpaceX uses low-orbit Starlink satellites to establish internet access in remote areas around the world.
Some village elders told The New York Times that the younger generation Not very interested in traditional lifestyle Ever since the Internet was introduced into society.
One elder said people in the tribe were becoming “lazy” and “learning the white man's ways,” but she still demanded that internet access be retained.
Tribal leader Enok Marubo (all Marubo use the same surname) is a leading advocate for internet access. However, he notes that the internet was initially “harmful,” especially to the tribe's hunting and fishing practices. He says that because there was so much to browse online, no one wanted to do the work.
To this end, Enoch and other leaders agreed to limit Internet access to two hours in the morning and five hours in the evening and on Sundays.
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Alfredo Marubo, the leader of the Marubo Village Association, told The New York Times that he was particularly disturbed by the prevalence of pornography among young men in the tribe. Although the tribe's traditional culture discourages romantic gestures such as kissing in public, Alfredo said many boys were sharing pornographic videos in group chats.
Even video games, particularly first-person shooters, have become an issue for the tribe, with some elders concerned that the games could inspire copycat violence.
The issue of Internet access has sparked a heated debate among Maruhiro's political leaders, who have both pros and cons for using the Internet.
Many Marubo residents already owned cell phones before Starlink antennas were installed in the area. These phones were used to communicate or take photos in the city.
Of course, having the internet isn’t all bad for these tribes. With Starlink, the Marubo people can better stay connected with other nearby villages, alert each other to potential dangers, and discover new jobs and education opportunities.
Today, many young people in the Marubo tribe dream of traveling the world or starting a career in a city outside the rainforest.
Enoch told the New York Times that one of the biggest benefits of the Internet is in emergencies. If a tribe member is bitten by a venomous snake, they can now call a helicopter to take the victim to the hospital without having to send multiple radio messages.
The Internet has empowered the people of Marubo and, as Enoque puts it, “saved lives.”
Marubo leaders have no plans to eliminate the internet from their community.
The Marubo people live in the upper Amazon basin along the Itui River in Brazil. They are a tribe of 2,000 people who were not completely isolated before Starlink. They were first contacted by rubber workers in the 19th century.
Starlink enables people around the world to access the internet in areas that were previously unavailable, including the Sahara Desert, the Mongolian steppes, and Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines of the war with Russia.
even Canadian Countryside Areas that will benefit from Starlink are those that don't yet have terrestrial internet infrastructure or are not covered by approved broadband funding programs.
In May this year, Musk said that Starlink has covered more than 3 million customers in 99 different countries.
