I don't know what kind of stubborn ignorance it takes for you to say that you've seen more of Asia than me. You can't be seriously comparing your experiences as a traveler to mine, someone who was born and has lived there for most of her life, right? And are you really gonna make assumptions on how privileged I am when you know absolutely nothing about me? I'm from one of the poorest countries in the world. Thailand, Tibet, Indonesia? My country is poorer than them combined. Believe me, I know poverty. I never denied Asia has high poverty rates. I know that better than anyone else.

All I'm saying is that there's a myriad of cheap smartphones here. So cheap that even the extremely poor can afford them. And because they have access to them, they know how to use them. You say that Asian countries lagged behind the west in adopting to smartphones and the internet. I don't deny that. But I don't know when it was you travelled across Asia, because in recent years many Asian countries have developed exponentially when it comes to technology, and some of them barely lag behind the west, if at all.

Your argument is rooted in ignorance. You say that since smartphones aren't common, people don't know how to utilize them to their full potential. But the very basis of that argument is false. Smartphones are very common, and people know how to use them. And yes you are generalizing. You're applying your limited experience to all of Asia. That's what generalizing is.

I think arguing with you is pointless, though. You seem set on believing your view is the right one, and there's no amount of effort I can put into changing that. If you're really determined to believe your experience as an outsider grants you more knowledge about this place than someone who grew up here, go have fun with that.