Altruistic Efforts to Network the Working Poor

An article in today’s New York Times reports on poverty-inspired innovation altruism. The networking sites that we know best, such as Facebook, connect tech-savvy individuals across and between nations. However, a new trend is the emergence of similar online networking systems for the working poor in developing countries, most notably India. Many individuals who have benefited from India’s technology boom and acquired strong computing skills now feel empowered to help those members of society who have not had the same opportunities. They recognize that part of the unemployment problem is the result of poor communication, not of a lack of demand for labor itself. Thus websites like http://www.babajob.com have opened, with a focus on personal connections and a referral system to help match job seekers with hirers. Although the extreme poor are still excluded from this sort of networking system, the Indian model has gained international attention and praise. Many entrepreneurs have expressed interest in its replication in other regions. For this reason, the article refers to India as a “laboratory for extending modern technological conveniences to those long deprived.”