In an article from The Guadian (UK) entitled "Anti-globalisation march brings Mumbai to a standstill", we see Linux portrayed as a political activist:

"Coca-Cola and Pepsi were barred from the refreshment stands in 
favour of locally produced sugar-cane juice and lemonade, while 
the forum's information needs and those of its media entourage 
were met with the free Linux operating system rather than 
Microsoft Windows."

I would expect this to be a continuing trend. Also from the article:

Some 100,000 people, from 132 countries, attended the forum, 
timed as a counterpoint to the World Economic Forum, which opens 
today in Davos, Switzerland. The alternative gathering is intended 
to highlight the paradox of big businesses thriving alongside 
widespread human despair.

It may seem paradoxical that some large corporations, such as IBM and Hewlett-Packard, are very much involved with Linux, which is starting to be perceived by some as anti-globalist or even anti-capitalist. But this is still only a matter of perception at this point in time. We haven't begun to see a big economic shift. And multinational corporations usually act in favor of short-term profits, without necessarily analyzing the longer-term implications of their decisions. Both IBM and H-P have been very successful at turning billion-dollar profits with Linux.

But it's still early in the game. The key thing to watch for will be how the dichotomy continues to develop between the "lesser developed" countries who are embracing Linux and FLOSS, versus the "more developed" countries which are creating ever-escalating legal battles over "Intellectual Property".

What we're beginning to suspect is that in one generation or less, the digital divide between these two artificially defined groups will flip.