Inventions do not simply emerge in a particular setting and spread gradually and uniformly across the globe. The common notion of one-way “technology transfer” only rarely describes accurately the relation between various nations or continents. Whereas people in one region may adopt innovations willingly, inhabitants in other regions may reject them outright. History teaches us that technologies can be later discarded. As I will show in several chapters, new technological solutions and long-established technologies are often employed in synergy.

A “snapshot” history of modern technology from the perspective of everyday people in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.