Amazon Tribe Finally Connects to the Internet and the Unexpected Consequences

The reclusive Marubo tribe in the Amazon jungle was connected to the outside world by Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet service nine months ago. However, the emergence of this technology has brought unexpected consequences.

Specifically, the 2,000-member Marubo Tribe living along the Ituí River in Brazil experienced the Internet for the first time, connecting to the world wide web thanks to the Starlink service, with a low-orbit satellite system.

Initially, the tribe welcomed the Internet as a useful tool, helping them contact the outside world in emergencies and communicate with relatives.

However, things have gradually gotten worse. Tsainama Marubo, 73, expressed concern that the tribe’s youth have become lazy because of the Internet, and “they are learning the ways of white people”.

Another tribe member, Alfredo Marubo, is concerned that some young people are becoming more “sexually aggressive” after being exposed to adult content online. He said the explicit sexual acts they see on screen make many people worry that young people will want to try it. In addition, people sometimes stop talking to their families because they are all connected online.

Many people just want to spend their afternoons on their phones instead of hunting, fishing and farming for food, Enoque said.

Kâipa Marubo, a father in the tribe, expressed concern about his children playing violent shooting games. Others said they had fallen victim to online scams due to their lack of digital literacy.

These things make parents worry that their children will lose their cultural identity due to the rapid changes in lifestyle since the advent of the Internet.

To control the situation, tribal leaders have imposed restrictions on people's Internet access, allowing them to use the Internet for only two hours in the morning, five hours in the evening and all day on Sundays.

Flora Dutra, a Brazilian activist who helped connect the Marubo tribe to the internet, acknowledged these concerns, but said most of the tribe “want and deserve” access to the online world.

The Marubo tribe has opened a new chapter thanks to the advent of the Internet, which presents both opportunities and challenges. But whether they can preserve their cultural identity while taking advantage of the benefits of technology remains an open question.