What are the results of Amazon tribes' sudden digitalization?

While most of the population in some countries own smartphones and most areas have internet access, there are still areas of the world that don't even have electricity, let alone the internet. Management thinker and technologist Faisal Haque explains the problems and consequences of the sudden digitalization of indigenous peoples in the Brazilian rainforest.

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In April 2025, CNN aired an original program called ' The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper ,' which covered the lives of the Kanamari people, an indigenous group living deep in the Amazon, as they were first connected to the Internet. The Internet was provided via Starlink by an activist group.

According to CNN International Security Chief Correspondent Nick Paton Walsh, who accompanied the group, while young people have rapidly adapted to WhatsApp, Facebook and especially Kwai , a Chinese version of TikTok, village elders have been working to prevent young people from becoming too fascinated with the Internet. 'We were surprised at how quickly these communities realized how negatively the Internet was affecting their lives,' Walsh said. 'It was certainly a big leap to switch from traditional life to the online world. But they quickly realized that they also needed to shut down the Internet to keep their children safe. It's a painful reminder of how much our lives have been accelerated and invaded by the technology we now rely on for almost everything.'

Similarly, The New York Times reported in 2024 that Starlink will introduce the internet to tribes deep in the Amazon. The Marbo people, who live in the Brazilian Amazon, were the first to get internet access in September 2023. At first, everyone was happy to welcome the internet, but after a while, the situation worsened, and undesirable changes occurred, such as young people becoming lazy and pornography becoming popular in the chaste tribe.

Starlink finally connects tribes in the Amazon to the Internet, but elders are worried about young people changing with social media and pornography - GIGAZINE

'What unfolded in the CNN program wasn't just a story about internet access, it was an allegory for the times we live in,' said Hawke. Before Starlink was introduced, the Kanamari people lived completely offline, but almost overnight they digitized, gaining powerful tools to report illegal deforestation, contact distant relatives, and access vast amounts of information.

But the digital revolution quickly backfired, Hawke points out. The very networks the community could use to report illegal deforestation were now being used to lure perpetrators of crimes with satellite phones and GPS data. And the problems inherent to the digital world that the Kanamari have grown accustomed to over the years, such as dependency on dopamine-stimulating content like social media, digitally connected yet isolating screen time, and the distorted values ​​created by influencer culture, are quickly becoming evident among the Kanamari.

Ultimately, the Kanamari decided to implement a nightly internet blackout to curb digital addiction and the problems that come with it. However, Hawke noted that it's unclear whether the Kanamari will be able to maintain a nightly internet blackout given growing digital influence and economic pressures.

Access to the wider world through digitalization has two sides: it gives us access to vast amounts of information, but also exposes us to a flood of information. Adapting to the latest technology can also lead to the loss of important traditional culture. Hawke says, 'We don't need to abandon technology, but we need to approach it with discernment and consideration for the depth of our culture. The example of the Kanamari teaches us the importance and difficulty of drawing a line of defense between us and the Internet.'