Elon Musk’s Starlink Sparks Porn Addiction In Marubo Tribe; Gossip Chat Groups, Violent Video Games Surge
A reclusive Amazon tribe has become hooked on scrolling social media sites and watching porn just months after being introduced to the internet by Elon Musk's Starlink service.
Brazil's Marubo tribe, who live deep in the Amazon rainforest, gained internet access for the first time in September last year after American entrepreneur Allyson Reneau donated more than 20 Starlink antennas to its 2,000 members, The New York Times reported.
While internet access has brought many benefits, including job and education opportunities and the ability to call for help in emergencies, it also divided the tribe over the past nine months.
Tribe leaders said many in their community have become addicted to watching porn, gossiping in group chats, scrolling on social media sites such as Instagram, talking to strangers online, and playing violent video games.
Some Marubo people -- who all use the same last name -- also became victims of online scams and misinformation.
While their culture frowns on kissing in public, Alfredo Marubo, one of their leaders, told the publication that they've noticed more "aggressive sexual behavior" in some young men after they were exposed to porn.
Additionally, elders were unhappy over their young people becoming less interested in their traditions and more focused on their phones.
"When it arrived, everyone was happy," Tsainama Marubo, 73, told the Times. "But now, things have gotten worse. Young people have gotten lazy because of the internet. They're learning the ways of the white people."
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Alfredo also expressed worry over how internet access has decreased actual communication between their people.
"Everyone is so connected that sometimes they don't even talk to their own family," he said.
Enoque Marubo told the Times that the internet has already drastically changed their tribe's ways.
"It changed the routine so much that it was detrimental," he said. "In the village, if you don't hunt, fish and plant, you don't eat."
Musk's Starlink is now available in 99 countries and territories and can provide high-speed internet access to anywhere on the planet by connecting antennas to 6,000 low-orbiting satellites.
While attending Starlink's launch in Indonesia last month, Musk said he was "very excited to bring connectivity to places that have low connectivity," CNN reported.
"If you have access to the internet you can learn anything," the billionaire said, highlighting "the importance of internet connectivity" and "how much of that can be a lifesaver."
