A remote Brazilian tribe, experiencing the ups and downs of high-speed internet for the first time, has complained about a rampant porn addiction gripping their youngsters.
Living deep in the heart of Amazon, the Marubo tribe, which was previously untouched by the rays of the internet, now has access to Elon Musk’s Starlink service.
Members of the isolated tribe still live in huts along the Ituí River. They fish, hunt, grow their own food, and make soup out of trapped spider monkeys. They also orally pass down their culture and history from one generation to the other.
But now, with the benefits of high-speed internet at their fingertips, some of the tribe's people have complained about young Marubo men becoming addicted to pornography.
A reclusive tribe in the Amazon got access to high-speed internet in September for the very first time
Image credits: Navi.global
Image credits: Navi.global
“When it arrived, everyone was happy,” Tsainama Marubo, 73, told The New York 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,” she continued.
“But please don’t take our Internet away," the tribe woman added after a pause.
While the Internet offered a number of benefits to the 2000-strong tribe, elders in the village shared concerns about the young people getting "lazy because of the Internet"
Image credits: Navi.global
Image credits: Navi.global
The 2,000-member tribe is a chaste group of people with the kind of culture that does not appreciate kissing in public.
Alfredo Marubo, leader of a Marubo association of villages, criticized the internet for getting youngsters addicted to sex. He said they have been sharing explicit sexual videos in group chats and have been showing aggressive sexual behavior.
“We’re worried young people are going to want to try it,” he told the outlet while speaking about the graphic sexual content that the tribe's people can now access.
He also voiced concerns about the tribe's lifestyle and culture changing because of the internet.
“Everyone is so connected that sometimes they don’t even talk to their own family,” he said.
Some Marubo leaders also spoke about the youngsters getting addicted to pornography and showing aggressive sexual behavior
Image credits: Associação Kapyvanaway
The remote village currently has access to Starlink’s internet services thanks to antennas connected to the 6,000 low-orbiting satellites. The antennas were donated to the village by American entrepreneur and philanthropist Allyson Reneau.
When the internet was first introduced to the tribe last September, it quickly became a hit.
“It changed the routine so much that it was detrimental,” Enoque Marubo said. “In the village, if you don’t hunt, fish, and plant, you don’t eat.”
The Marubo leaders eventually decided to put limits on the internet availability in the village to ensure that life as they know it continues. The tribe's people now only have access to the internet for two hours every morning and five hours every evening. The internet is switched on throughout the day every Sunday.
The tribe living deep in the Amazon rain forest got access to Elon Musk's Starlink internet last September
Image credits: Firstpost
Image credits: Navi.global
TamaSay Marubo, 42, the tribe’s first woman leader, said the internet has kept some people glued to their phones for hours.
“Some young people maintain our traditions,” she said. “Others just want to spend the whole afternoon on their phones.”
While the internet opened up a Pandora's box of challenges, members of the tribe admitted that there have certainly been benefits as well. Many communicate through WhatsApp and are able to stay in touch with loved ones staying far away from them. Teachers are also able to share lessons with students in other villages, while leaders of the tribe can quickly be informed of health emergencies.
Earlier, the villagers used amateur radio to get messages across during situations like a venomous snake bite. But now, with the help of the internet, the message can be conveyed instantly with a call.
“It’s already saved lives,” he told the outlet.
The necessary antennas for the internet were donated to the tribe by American entrepreneur and philanthropist Allyson Reneau
Image credits: allyson_reneau
Image credits: allyson_reneau
Like many concerned parents from across the world, one father named Kâipa Marubo from the Marubo tribe shared his worry about his kids mimicking some of the behavior shown in violent video games. He said he was glad the internet is now helping his three children with their education, but he is concerned about the effect of video games on his sons.
“I’m worried that they’re suddenly going to want to mimic them,” he said.
Although he deleted the games, Kâipa said his sons might have similar apps hidden on their devices.
Now that the youngsters of the tribe are exposed to ideas and experiences from around the world, two teenagers told the outlet that they use Instagram and chat with strangers on the platform. One girl shared her new-found dreams of being a dentist in the Brazilian city of São Paulo, while another said she wanted to travel the world.
“I think the internet will bring us much more benefit than harm,” Enoque told the outlet, “at least for now.”
After reading the news of the tribe's porn addiction issue due to the internet, netizens agreed that the village is facing the same problems that other parts of the world experienced with the advent of the internet.
“Basically what happened when we got the internet too,” one said, while another wrote, “Tribes people are just people, like everyone else they have sexual needs.”
“Good to know it’s a universal issue,” another said.
Social media users felt the tribe is now facing the same problems faced by people worldwide with the advent of the internet
