Starlink on Amazon makes progress but Whats, Insta and porn change tribe’s habits

Internet through Starlink’s satellite constellation has brought a number of benefits to different audiences. Thanks to its operation and accessible installation, it connected remote locations, areas with poor infrastructure or points that did not receive signals from traditional operators.

However, this technology, as well as its excessive use, also has some negative consequences.

Newspaper New York Times One report described an interesting case straight from Brazil involving an indigenous tribe in the Amazon region that recently connected with Elon Musk’s platform.

Marubo dilemma

The Marubo people, residents of the Vale do Javari Indigenous Lands in a town of about 2,000 people, have been directly affected by the internet.

They mainly succeeded with Starlink contact nearby emergency services, talk to relatives and even issue alerts on health or environmental issues.

However, the elderly population has also begun to notice changes in the behavior of those who use mobile phones most frequently. One of those who complained about the change was 73-year-old Tsainama Marubo.

According to him, cultural activities such as body painting, fruit picking, and making accessories from shells do not attract the attention of young people as much as mobile phones.

“Young people have become lazy because of the internet. They are learning the ways of the white people. But please don’t take away our internet“said.

The most common activities are using social media including Instagram and Kwai and chatting on WhatsApp, Who would steal the time he previously spent with his family?. The reports are very similar to those of already connected societies in any corner of the world affected by excessive internet use.

Marubo, an isolated Amazon tribe, was connected to high-speed internet via Elon Musk’s Starlink in September. Our Brazil bureau chief, Jack Nicas, visited the tribe’s remote villages to see what the internet has changed for them. https://t.co/JXwhPDcR3L pic.twitter.com/7CKCHsY4QX

— New York Times (@nytimes) June 2, 2024

Another problem identified by Alfredo Marubo, one of the leaders of the association, is pornography. According to him, young men are consuming and sharing adult materials with each other through their mobile phones, something that was not available in the tribe before.

Even other adults noticed “more aggressive sexual behavior” Some boys suspect that this content affects the socialization of some people.

Starlink in Brazil: progress and controversies

Starlink became operational in Brazil in January 2022, with permission from Anatel. It reached Amazon within a few months, taking advantage of low supply from traditional operators.

Within a few months, 90% of municipalities in legal Amazon states had customers for the service.

In the Marubo case, the antennas were donated by Allyson Reneauan American activist who personally took the material to Amazon. He received the support of Enoque, one of the community leaders.

“It is crucial to combat biased and misinformed ideas for critics who believe that indigenous people do not have the same right to internet access as white people. (…) Indigenous peoples have the right to integrate into the digital world if they wish to do so and strengthen their communities and cultures using technology, this “To respect the right is to promote equality and social justice,” he argues.

In addition to the service for interested users, Starlink has promised satellites for 19,000 schools in the Amazon and has been confirmed as the internet provider for Brazilian Navy ships.

However, despite having connectivity Starlink antennas They have even been found in areas of illegal logging and mining.. In these situations, it is used to provide rapid communication and even provide warnings of possible police operations.