Somebody: No, progress, without quotes, is freedom from necessity. That God awful Western life-style means that people do not normally have to worry about dying in infancy or youth. And when they do, they have the luxury of considering it an outrageous tragedy, worthy of memorials, fundraisers, and television movies. One day, hopefully sooner rather than later if we make the necessary investments now, we'll have the unthinkable luxury of considering dying at 80 an outrageous waste of life.
I never mentioned anything about iPhones or Twitter. Actually, I'm deeply critical of the way technology has been appropriated by the minor sub-domain of mobile devices and social networking applications. When you look for technology news you are overwhelmed by Facebook and Apple, instead of by nanotechnology, 3D printing, and gene therapy. I fear this cultural obsession will impact what fields intelligent young people will pursue. I'm more interested in technologies which significantly improve the quality and quantity of life.
Having said that, it's undeniable that most of the world desperately seeks the Western (and now Eastern) way of life. I know it pains old-school New Left types, but people deeply deeply love consumerism whether they grow up in consumerist societies or not. Actually, I wish they were more interested in infrastructure, education, and the advance of medicine, but it's still a more healthy attitude than the Malthusian techno-phobia of some of the left (which I'm accusing no one here of).