Those old enough to remember the early days of the internet will recall that it took a minute or more to download one photo — long enough to fill the recipient of an email containing pictures with a certain amount of dread.
In much of the world, people still have to access the internet using a slow-as-molasses “dial-up” connection. And it’s costing them a bundle, according to a BBC report.
All of that wasted time isn’t just an annoyance — it translates into actual lost income. According to the report, shifting to a broadband connection boosts average monthly income by over $300 a month. Double the speed and you add $422 per household per month.
If the United States had doubled its broadband speed in 2009, the report says, it would be better off by almost $350 billion.
It may be hard to believe that watching cat videos at on a lightning-fast internet could translate into that much additional income, but perhaps we need to consider what the world would be like if people watched felines frolicking on a slower connection.
No word on whether there will also be a study on how much time (and money) would be saved if people were on the internet less frequently.
Read the BBC report and watch their info-video (hopefully on broadband) here.
And today we celebrate...