Technology is the Great Equalizer in For Rural Talent
The technology of recent years has been a great aid to talented people who live far from major urban areas. The Internet was a great development in getting rural areas in touch with the rest of the world. However, broadband and other technological improvements have made greater improvements in allowing talented individuals to express their talents and gain recognition. In this way, technology has leveled the playing field for many people who would otherwise have had to travel to “the city” to follow their dreams.
Here in South Texas, we have often fallen behind the curve when it comes to technology. Although much of our region could be considered urban, technological infrastructure has been slow to deploy compared to other areas. The two most significant improvements have been broadband and mobile broadband.
With regular broadband, people can create and upload content to the Internet to reach target audiences. Dial-up, though great for email and basic web browsing, was inadequate for video and even podcasting. A person who is interested in movie production can very easily produce short films and post them to the web. One of my favorite local talents is Las Milpas Productions. It’s obviously a group of guys having fun with a camera; but you can see the underlying talent these guys exhibit. These short films would have been all but impossible to distribute without the availability of broadband. If you are from the Rio Grande Valley, you know that Las Milpas is not exactly the Silicon Valley of South Texas. It is great to see talent come from that.
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Many local bands have also taken to putting their music online for the enjoyment of their audiences. Granted, these local bands may not be doing world tours; but they do have audiences that enjoy their music and are glad to download music. Prior to the Internet, bands had to be discovered by a label or would have had to pay to have their music recorded. A decent sound engineer can mix a performance to acceptable levels for the Internet. The beauty of the whole arrangement is the ability for these local bands to connect with their audiences in ways that were not possible 10 years ago.
Photographers have also benefited from the technological improvements of the last decade. Digital cameras have made great improvements in how people capture and process images. Of course, sharing great photographs, which may be several megabytes in size, is also facilitated by broadband. Rural photographers no longer have to deal with physical portfolios of their work. They can now set up a website with some highlights of their work.
Something else I have seen is the move of talented people to rural areas. One great example is Hugh McLeod, a well-known cartoonist. He moved to Alpine, Texas after buying a winery. This would have been a difficult move for him if it were not for the Internet. Thanks to broadband, he is able to continue his work and stay connected with his network. Because technology levels the playing field for rural areas, it is quite possible that we will see talent move out of the big cities and set up shop in small towns. Why not?
Another point I want to touch is the contribution that mobile broadband makes to rural talent. If you live waaaay out in the boonies, then you will not have useful mobile coverage, much less mobile broadband. However, anybody who lives near a major highway can count on having some form of mobile Internet. A smartphone in the right hands can go a long way towards making that person known to the world. Most smartphones allow the owner to capture photographs, audio, and video. In addition, smartphones have web browsers, email, and even applications that allow distribution of content via social networks. It is not the easiest way for a rural person to share their talents with the world; but it is sufficient to show their underlying talents and skills in content creation.
These are exciting times for the world. There is a large pool of untapped talent that lives away from the urban areas. Thanks to broadband and mobile technology, these individuals can continue to serve their communities while participating in the global market of ideas. We have never had such great opportunities like we have today. So long as broadband becomes more and more affordable, I think we will see more talented people rise up out of poverty as they are able to effectively self-publish their work through the Internet. Exciting times indeed.
Thank you for reading Contempo Magazine blog with Shaine Mata who writes about politics, technology, and social media for McAllen, the Rio Grande Valley, Texas and America. He is a co-founder of Advantj Media Consortium
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