Unlocking Relevant Web Content for the Next 4 Billion people

Monday 3 Nov 2014 | Connected Society | Digital literacy | English | Global | Mobile access and use | Research | Resource |

Unlocking Relevant Web Content for the Next 4 Billion people image

Globally, 4 billion people remain unconnected from the Web, 90% of whom are in the developing world. At the same time, we are currently undergoing a rapid shift from feature phones to smartphones, even in the world’s less economically developed regions. Towards the end of 2013, mobile broadband connections in the developing world passed 1 billion. By 2017, this will have crossed 3 billion, half of which will be smartphone connections. Mobile technology will enable billions to join the Web in the near future. But few have taken the time to ask: What kind of Web do we need to build to unlock social and economic opportunities for people in emerging markets?

Even if we solve key issues like access, affordability and efficiency, what will the next wave of users find when they get online? Will it interest them? Will it be a place where they can access and create content that has a meaningful impact on their lives? Getting the next billions of Web users online will not occur automatically. Widespread adoption is also contingent on people being able to access mobile networks at a price they can pay. Around the world, we see a significant increase in the number of mobile subscribers at the point where the cost of owning and running a mobile falls to 2-3% of total income. In the last 6 years, operators have invested $1 trillion into mobile networks globally. A similar level of investment will be required over the coming years. Responsible and transparent taxation and regulatory policies on the part of governments will be equally important in providing consumers access to affordable networks.

Maximising this unprecedented opportunity will also require a huge investment in digital skills. Populations coming into contact with digital technologies for the first time will need to be taught how to effectively navigate, evaluate and create on the Web. Organisations interested in ensuring that the Web remains a place for the many and not for the few, should be considering how they can help work to cultivate these skills. Over the course of its history, most of the users and creators of content have been located in a relatively small number of countries. A clear example of this is the fact that English dominates the Web, despite the fact that a relatively small proportion of the world speak it as a first language. Just over half (55.8%) of Web content is estimated to be in English despite the fact that less than 5% of the world’s population speak it as a first language, with only 21% estimated to have some level of understanding. By contrast, some of the world’s most widely spoken languages, such as Arabic or Hindi, account for a relatively small proportion of the Web’s content (0.8% and less than 0.1% respectively).

If the industry continues on its current path, we will have a broadly connected but less empowered Web citizenry. Even if operators keep investing in network capacity, and even if handset costs will continue to drop, the next billion users will find a less welcoming content landscape, which is effectively closed to their contributions except for a handful of private content silos. The long-term impact of that could include delayed adoption of smartphones, meaning the potential benefits of a connected planet are not realised.

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This document was originally produced as part of the former Mobile for Development Impact programme.

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