Monday, October 16, 2006

Tech: THE most technologically advanced country

...is... Denmark.

What's the basis of this claim? Simply: Broadband. The takeup of broadband as measured by the number of subscribers per 100 inhabitants.

A fresh OECD report gives the following ranking:
1. Denmark 29.3 1
2. Netherlands 28.8 2
3. Iceland 27.3 3
4. South Korea 26.4 4
5. Switzerland 26.2 5
6. Finland 25.0 6
7. Norway 24.6 7
8. Sweden 22.7 8
9. Canada 22.4 9
10. UK 19.4
...
12. US 19.3
13. Japan 19.0
...
17. Australia 17.4
...
22. New Zealand 11.7

Just yesterday I was discussing South Korea as the most advanced in the world. What happened? Strong per-capita takeup in the other countries over the last year. (Also figuring in the strong improvers were Australia and the UK.)

Why is this significant? It's axiomatic. Broadband is the essential [knowledge] tool of the future. It will never substitute for personal knowledge or wisdom, but there is simply, unquestionably no better tool to supplement your own faculties.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes nothing can replace our own faculties. Broadband and internet are merely means to get information. Unless we know where to begin or what exactly we need to know all these can be frustrating.
benny

S Simmonds said...

Well, I almost got carried away with that post. Luckily, I realised I was using my brain as well.

But yes, Broadband is all very well, but you have to know how to exploit it. I think the coming generation will be more computer literate, but that's still not all the equation. It will still leave the disadvantaged - most of the developing world, and quite a few of the developed world - that will be even more disadvantaged in this revolutionary change.