A Remote Amazon Tribe Connects To The Internet For The First Time, Instantly Becomes Addicted To Porn, Social Media, And FPS Games

Scott Wallace. Getty Images.

A remote tribe in Brazil has become bitterly divided nine months after gaining access to satellite internet via Elon Musk’s Starlink service.

The 2,000-member Marubo tribe, who live along the Ituí River deep in the Amazon rainforest, were connected to the World Wide Web last September after 20 antennas were donated to them by American entrepreneur Allyson Reneau.

Starlink, which works by connecting the antennas to 6,000 low-orbiting satellites, delivers super-fast internet to far-flung corners of the planet and has been billed as a game-changer by Musk.

But the internet is already posing problems for the Marubo, with many youngsters in the tribe now hooked on social media and pornography, much to the alarm of elders.

“When it arrived, everyone was happy,” Tsainama Marubo, 73, told The New York Times. “But now, things have gotten worse."

He says many young Marubo men have been sharing porn videos in group chats and he has already observed more “aggressive sexual behavior” in some of them.

“We’re worried young people are going to want to try it,” he said of the kinky sex acts they’ve suddenly been exposed to on screen.

Another father, Kâipa Marubo, said he’s anxious about his children playing violent first-person shooter games.

“I’m worried that they’re suddenly going to want to mimic them,” he stated.

Whose fuckin idea was this? These people were probably so happy. Had like peak-level humanity happiness. The only worries were survival, medical care was probably an issue but humanitarian aid was constantly coming out to keep them up to date on the basics, their big needs of hunting, building shelter, and practicing their belief system. Hunting, gathering, fishing, tons of things people do for fun nowadays. 

Now of course one's life is perfect but it is probably because a lot of the issues we have all come from the internet when it comes to mental health and self-esteem. Like, imagine you are in the Amazon rainforest, concentrating on becoming a good hunter to help provide for the tribe, learning the ways to catch the most fish and you suddenly get access to porn and realize you don't have a hog. Then as the tribal elders have complained about, all the dudes can't stop using porn, and the "unrealistic beauty standards of social media" are making everyone feel bad. I know there will be benefits of modernization and the internet will help them learn more about the world outside of the Amazon. 

I just envy their former worldview. Like this is definitely grass is always greener, but their elders are wishing they never got access to tech! Just would like to follow up on how these guys adapt. It may just be a fad and are able to adjust. Hopefully, they can maintain their practices and culture by showing it on TikTok and become rich and able to provide for their families. 

I just envy life without internet, I am probably totally delusional that it would be better. But I like being in the woods off my phone to reset.