Mark Zuckerberg says connectivity is a basic human right – do you agree?

Questions for comprehension:

1. What is your understanding of the term “connectivity”?

My understanding of the word “connectivity” is that it is the capacity for the interconnection of platforms, systems, and applications. This definition basically means the amount for the two things in platforms, systems and applications.

2. What are Facebook Zero and Wikipedia Zero, and how do these work? Why are these thought to be good for developing countries?

Facebook Zero is a text-only version of the site with no data charges. It is good for developing countries because it allows them to communicate with friends and family within the country and also to communicate with people outside the country and be active, social and keeping up with the latest news updates and gossip.

Wikipedia Zero is a flagship programme that partners with mobile phone providers to let people browse with no data charges. It is good for developing countries because it allows them to research and know any famous people like their background, how they started their careers and the private life. Also, if there is false information on Wikipedia Zero, then they can easily edit it and change it to the correct information by making an account.

3. What other initiatives are taking place in developing countries, to encourage people to get online?

Another country that initiatives are taking place is a developing country like India. In India there is around 200 million using the internet; however, 30% are women. This means that many people are using the internet but the 70% of the users are males. India would want more females to be on the internet because the mothers are directed by "inspirational" quotes such as "internet moms connect well with their kids" and "internet moms make meals fun". This means that it helps the mothers engage more with their children.

4. Do you agree with Zuckerberg's view that connectivity is a human right?

I agree. I think that Zuckerberg’s view on connectivity is a human right because it brings people together and it unifies people. This means that people are more active on social media, they can find out things they didn’t know, read articles and have a social life by using Facebook Zero. Furthermore, this leads to an increase in the developing countries social lives.

5. How does your internet behaviour differ from five years ago? Many people now turn to the web for information on key services – are you among them?

There is a big difference from my internet behaviour from 5 years ago. For example, 5 years ago, I used the internet to communicate

with my friends by using Blackberry Messenger and I used it to play on my Xbox by using Xbox Live which allows me to play against my friends on different games online. This means that back then, there wasn’t that many options to use the internet wisely because we were still developing and finding more and new ways of using the internet efficiently.

Now, I my internet behaviour has changed significantly because I use it more often and I go on a variety of things that run on internet access. For example, now, I have more ways to connect to my family and friends with are using WhatsApp and Snapchat; I also use the internet to check the weather for the week. This means that now, I have many options to use the internet easily and quickly and because we are almost developed, it’s easy to access the internet and I can use it more efficiently.