Global cellphone and computer usage is up dramatically as inequalities in technology drop. Cellphone ownership has grown 20% in the US, where 80% of the population uses computers, third in the world behind Sweden and South Korea. Computer usage is up in 26 of 35 countries in a new Pew survey, PC World reports, and even 6% of Tanzanians log on.
But while technology narrows the distance between borders and aids economic integration, the lead researcher concludes, a backlash endangers globalization. As citizens in developing countries welcome free markets, concern mounts about the loss of their cultures. Many worry also that the ongoing tech boom threatens their environments. (More technology stories.)