The document discusses the social and economic implications of mobile phone use in Rwanda. It describes how Rwandans have developed practices like "beeping" to stay connected while minimizing costs. Beeping involves calling someone back or using instrumental or relational missed calls to signal contact. This allows strong social relationships to form despite constraints. The document also examines the digital divide in Rwanda and how mobile access is increasing opportunities for farmers by providing market price information. Rwandans have grown highly dependent on their mobile phones as a key part of daily life and organization.
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
9.
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/mobil
e-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
