Lucretia is probably right that the true third-world poor never get close to a computer. But their lives may not be as unstable as her speculation suggests.

"Portfolios of the Poor" provides a pretty good glimpse of the lives of people living on less than $2 a day in the poor parts of the developing world. I reviewed it here:

http://www.ribbonfarm.com/2010/1...

My review wasn't really about examining poverty per se, but a different angle, but hopefully this will provide enough of a glimpse.

A comparable source for the developed world, which provides a broader look at some of the anecdotal thoughts in other answers, is Barbara Ehrenreich's "Nickel and Dimed" and the TV show "30 Days" by Morgan Spurlock (of "Supersize Me" fame).

The NYT (or maybe it was the WSJ, not sure) also did a fascinating series on poverty several years ago. I can't seem to find it, but here is a piece from the NYT on what poverty feels like:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/1...

For the record, I have no direct experience of any real poverty. Or serious wealth for that matter. So far, I have always been purely middle class.