Elon Musk’s Starlink has brought internet access to remote Amazonian tribes, with the result that some of the men have become addicted to porn.
As reported by the New York Times, the Starlink satellite company struck a deal with former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, bringing online access to over 66,000 people in the Amazon rainforest.
Starlink is a subsidiary of Musk’s SpaceX, providing internet to over 70 countries, with the aim of providing global mobile broadband.
There have reportedly been a number of positive impacts from the new service, including job and education opportunities, as well as access to emergency services.
However, one repercussion that has left some locals unhappy is that some young men have started watching a significant amount of graphic sexual content online, and are sharing explicit images in group chats.
One leader of the Marubo tribe named Alfredo told the paper that he was concerned about the development. “We’re worried young people are going to want to try it,” he said. He also noted that other tribe leaders had noticed “more aggressive sexual behaviour” from young men.
As well as pornographic content, group leaders said that the new ease of access to violent video games and what they describe as “the ways of the white people” is of concern as well.
Brazilian activist Flora Dutras supports local people’s right to connectivity access but also expressed concern of the nature of its delivery. “This is called ethnocentrism,” she told the New York Times. “The white man thinking they know what’s best.”
In other recent Musk news, the first human patient for his Neuralink program of implantable brain-computer interfacing shared a video that showed him playing Mario Kart 8 using just the Neuralink chip.
Noland Arbaugh is paralysed from the neck down, and in the video he praised the chip’s ability to let him enjoy gaming: “Anything that makes me more independent I’m all for and this is probably going to make people like me the most independent that they might ever be until it all gets cured.”
In March, Musk also cancelled journalist Don Lemon’s contract with X after the former CNN anchor reportedly asked about the billionaire’s alleged usage of ketamine in an interview. Musk has previously denied using any form of illegal drug.
Earlier in the year, Musk lost out on a $56billion Tesla pay package after a judge deemed it unfair to shareholders.