The Social and Economic Implications of Mobile Telephony in Rwanda

1. The Social and Economic Implications ofMobile Telephony in Rwanda Jonathan Donner Presentation : Anousha Fluck

3. Rwanda

6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lOSL1KyeG0

7. Digital Divide • Jan van Dijk and Kenneth Hacker (2003) distinguish four barriers to access to digital services. • Lack of elementary digital experience • No possession of computers and network connections • Lack of digital skills • Lack of significant opportunities -> In the case of Rwanda there is a lack of usage access. • http://vis4.net/blog/posts/mapping-internet-and-population/

8. Beeping by Donner • Mobile’s feature is connectivity. The benefits are both positive economic and social changes. • powerful technique to maximize the benefits of a mobile whilst minimizing money expenditure

10. In Rwanda users have taken this to next level by diversifying this practice. There are three kinds of beeping • Call back • Pre-negotiated instrumental • Relational

11. allowing users to feel connected. • It is a “phatic communication” signaling the existence of a relationship or communication channel.

12. mobiles are rewriting the spatial and temporal constraints of all manner of human communications – whether for working family, or recreation and entertainment • http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/27/tech/mobile-culture-usage/index.html

13. Discussion • 1. Form groups 2. discuss with class • When you wake up in the morning how long is it until you use your mobile or Internet? • How would you feel if your mobile and Internet was taken off you for 3 days? • Do you think you could organize your life without your mobile? • Choose one question and • Tweet #MDIA5003 your answer

14. Bibliography: • Donner J,(2006), The Social and Economic Implications of • Mobile Telephony in Rwanda: An Ownership/Access Typology, Kowledge, Technology, & Policy, 2006, vol.19, No.2,pp.17-28 • Donner, J (2007), The rules of beeping: Exchanging messages via international “missed calls” on mobile phone, Journal of Computer Mediated Communication, 13(1), article 1.http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/donner.html • Jan van Dijk & Kenneth Hacker (2003): The Digital Divide as a Complex and Dynamic Phenomenon, The Information Society: An International Journal, 19:4, 315-326 • Aisch, G , ‘Visualiziing the Global Digital Divide by Mapping Internet and Population’, 21/10/2011,accessed 5/10/2012, http://vis4.net/blog/posts/mapping-internet-and-population/ • our bibliography should look something like this – LastName, FirstName.(Month Day, Year).'Title of the Article' Retrived Month Day, Year from the website: http://www.abcde.com • TheVJMovement, ‘Rwandan Farmers Empowered by Mobile Access to Market Prices’, April 12, 2011, accessed 4/10/2012 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lOSL1KyeG0 • Canton N, 20120, ‘Cell phone culture: How cultural differences affect mobile use’, September 28, 2012, accessed 4/10/2012,http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/27/tech/mobile-culture-usage/index.html