Even in our present-day lives, obsessed with modern technology, the global population lives their lives somewhere along a spectrum of technological dependence. You may find people who are completely dependent on modern technology for their work and social lives. Alternatively, you can find people living in tribes totally disconnected from the outside world, using ancient technology to survive. Everyone else lives at some point in between these two extremes. This forms the vast spectrum of technological dependence.

While these uncontacted tribes still exist, it begs the question: if you had a choice, where would you sit on the great spectrum of technological dependence? Each person’s opinion may be different, and rightly so. However, humanity is shifting the possibility of surviving anywhere on this spectrum drastically in the direction of technological dominance. The majority of the world’s last remaining uncontacted tribes reside deep in the Amazon, and though their existence is a particularly pleasant notion in my own mind, nobody knows for how long they will last. Even if we look at the rare examples of people who sit closest, on the spectrum, to the uncontacted tribes, there is only one way they are heading.

If we make a generalisation, most citizens of developed nations like the UK will have a social circle that revolves around online messaging and texting to arrange plans. Not to mention the ones who yearn for social media attention to feed their wellbeing. Similarly, most people will use computers, smartphones, or tablets as a means of living. Couple that with the ever-growing influence of AI and tech-driven industries, and you start to feel left behind by society if you do not follow suit in endorsing this technological tidal wave. That being said, a few rogue outliers who are aware of this over-reliance on technology will try to adopt a minimalistic approach to this agenda. Despite these anomalies not endorsing it, they cannot deny the slide towards internet banking and electronic sign-ups for essential services.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, you can observe similar trends. South America is a continent that is a bit further behind in its own development, yet you seldom find capsules of land that persist outside of modern technology’s massive reach. All corners of this magnificent continent appear as though they are becoming more and more trampled upon, no matter where you go. Whether you are in the harsh, bleak landscapes of the high Andes or in the sticky heat of the Amazon basin, there is a good chance that technology is becoming more popular. An inevitable result of globalisation and the increasing popularity of travel blogs is introducing international tourists.

That being said, as you travel east from the urban cities among the Ecuadorian Andes, you almost witness the changing degrees of technological dependence before your eyes. Winding down the snaking mountain roads, you pass through communities connected to each other by one electrical cable and the sole substandard route you are travelling on. By the time you reach the foothills of the Andes and the Amazon basin, the next nearest town becomes further and further away. Until eventually you feel as though you are completely disconnected from the outside world, travelling for hours into the thicker jungle.

This far from modern technology's ominous grasp, there are no roads but only compacted clay paths. The houses are deprived of any industrial material, standing strong with a natural wood and earth composition. Each village only has one shop for conveniences like a toothbrush or some extra fruit. Occasionally, someone in the village has a bright idea of installing electrical cables and allowing tourists to stay over—maybe even open up a basic restaurant or cafe—to extract a bit more from the tourists' deep pockets. While still unpopular for western tourists, the village does get a bit more exposure to the outside world, and the process of increasing technological dependence begins. They start to move along the spectrum.

Many would argue this process is largely beneficial, improving the lives of those living in the wooden huts and opening up the luxuries of a flushing toilet. Who would not prefer to defecate into a smooth, efficient plumbing system rather than a hole in the ground? What is more, after some time, the local school may even get access to the internet, and children can be exposed to the many wonderful educational resources that exist there. All this surely beats the previous life of hard work, making a living out in the forest using basic resources. Children may not have even gone to school in the old way of living. So how can it be detrimental to their standard of living to move towards development and upwards along the spectrum?

This question is hard to argue against, certainly in my own view. However, when we look at this pathway towards increasing development, it goes hand in hand with the increasing influence of modern technology. At this point, you have to ask yourself, What is the destination? Is it possible for those people in the jungle to accept great luxuries like a working toilet, a smooth road surface, and access to the internet and suddenly just halt technology's influence right there? Or will they keep succumbing to the conveniences that modern technology brings? If human history and my own experience are anything to go by, it seems hard to imagine these rural communities staying in situ on the spectrum.

After visiting countless rural villages in South America and Asia, I can say that the greater influence of modern gadgets like smartphones is becoming apparent in many places. Many of these communities are on the highway with hollow social media profiles dictating their happiness. Children are leaning towards an upbringing rooted in screens and buttons over the simplicities of fresh air and trees. Over time, parents may even eventually forget the traditional methods of healing and turn to the comfort of a packaged pharmaceutical pill to solve all of their health concerns. After all, they would only be following the precedent set by more developed nations. So here’s the key question: are these people happier now than they were in their previous lives?

Even when I romanticise the idea of this minimalistic lifestyle, I cannot be sure of how long it will be before I grow tired of the difficulties that are accompanied by it. But is this simply because I have been raised in an area and era of high technological dependence and I know no better, or is the power of technology just impossible to deny?