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September 20 2011
The Developmental Contribution from Mobile Phones Across the Agricultural Value Chain in Rural Africa « The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries
Bjorn Furuholt and Edmund Matotay provide a study on the impacts of mobile telephony throughout the agricultural value chain in rural Tanzania. They identify five dimensions of mobile phone use, namely access to timely information, more transparent and efficient markets, advance warning, access to services such as mobile banking, and facilitated communication and coordination. These differ in salience throughout the year. Mobile phone use is linked to improved information quality, with some farmers cross-checking e.g. price information, resulting in improved bargaining power. Coordination is facilitated, in particular improving the supply of labor and farming tools; in some cases, farmers collaborate to e.g. rent tractors together, benefiting from economies of scale. Access to information about the weather, road conditions, and communication with relatives also decreases vulnerabilities.September 08 2011
The somatic marker hypothesis: A neural theory of economic decision « Games and Economic Behavior
Antoine Bechara and Antonio R. Damasio argue that emotions play a role in economic decision making. The somatic marker theory hypothesizes that decision-making is a process that is influenced by marker signals that arise in bioregulatory processes. Somatic states can be induced from primary inducers (innate or learned stimuli) as well as secondary inducers (recalls of emotional events). During decision-making, somatic states are activated in a "body loop" mechanism related with uncertainty; or an "as if body loop" linked to certainty. Certainty and time factors engage different parts of the VM cortex. Somatic responses can enhance decision-making: Normal subjects show skin-conductance responses before making a decision leading to reward of punishment, biasing towards favorable responses. Repeated experiences aggravate the overall feeling. The authors argue with Overskeid that "when solving a problem, people always choose the solution that elicits the best feeling".September 06 2011
Neuroeconomics: Using Neuroscience to Make Economic Predictions « The Economic Journal
Colin F. Camerer outlines the potential of neuroeconomics, i.e. the use of a new understanding of the brain's functions to predict economic behaviour. He posits three directions. On one hand, in some fields related to crucial survival skills - dealing with food, sex, and danger - neural correlates have been found for rational choice principles. On the other hand, neuroscience often supports behavioral economics principles, such as future discounting, ambiguity aversion, nonlinear weighting of probability, and limited strategic behavior in games. Finally, in some cases neuroscience could also shed light on questions neglected by economics, e.g. the role particular brain regions or neurotransmitters play for trust in games.August 07 2011
Yochai Benkler describes Wikipedia as an example of commons-based peer production based on motivational principles that defy the rational agent-based model of the "homo oeconomicus". Instead, he argues that motivation is a multi-faceted phenomenon. This realization shows up in several branches throughout the last decades, including biology, psychology, management science and others.
July 15 2011
Examining the Usage and Impact of Transformational M-Banking in Kenya « Internationalization, Design and Global Development
Olga Morawczynski analyzes mobile banking in the example of Kenya's M-Pesa. She finds that usage is impacted by several factos, including nationwide crisis (the 2007-08 post-election violence), seasonality (farm cycles increase demand for funds), and seasonal pricing in shops. She argues that mobile banking reduces vulnerability, generates additional income as transaction costs are saved, and extends networks. Vulnerability is reduced firstly as it becomes easier to solicit capital and have funds instantly available, both in the short term, e.g. for victims of election violence, and the long term, e.g for farmers funding acquisitions; secondly as mobile phones enable the maintenance of social networks: money sent home by urban migrants has a practical and symbolical function, creating a 'safety net' to rely on in times of crisis; but social networks are also weakened as mobile transactions replace visits in person. Morawczynski thus questions whether existing relations are amplified.July 14 2011
Mobile 2.0: M-money for the BoP in the Philippines « Information Technologies & International Development
Erwin Alampay and Gemma Bala analyse the potential for mobile banking uptake among the Philippines' BoP. They argue that remittances, both internal and international, could drive uptake. Mobile money transfers provide a cheaper alternative to conventional money transfer options. The authors identify three levels of access necessary for m-banking usage: mental, material, and skill access. While most Filipinos have access to a mobile phone and know how to use it, uncertainty over how mobile payments work is found to be a barrier to usage.Airtime to Cash: Unlocking the Potential of Africa's Mobile Phones for Banking the Unbanked
Alex Comninos, Steve Esselaar, Ali Ndiwalana and Christoph Stork examine the potential for advanced mobile banking services in Africa. In most countries, more people have a mobile phone than a bank account, the latter mostly due to a lack of regular income. Airtime transfers are commonly used in most countries, mostly to send money to family and friends, but in some instances also to pay for goods and services. They propose two schemes for mobile banking services as alternatives to current banking by linking an existing phone to a bank account, and not vice-versa as value-added service. Airtime-cash convertibility using a singly SIM card-linked account would cause problems with mobile operators needing bank licenses, VATs on transactions, and value loss in the distribution process. "Mobile wallets" with several sub-accounts on one SIM card might solve some of these issues. The authors find that potential acceptance of such a service is high in some countries.Mobile Money Use in Uganda: A Preliminary Study
Ali Ndiwalana, Olga Morawczynski and Oliver Popov provide a study of mobile banking uses in Kampala, Uganda. Participants in their study are identified as typical early adopters, with high education, employment, and access to formal banking. Half of them both send and receive money via their mobile, while one quarter each only send or receive money. Sending money dominates transactions, mostly to family members; except for sender-receivers, who more commonly make payments. Buying airtime, in particular, is a common use; paying for transportation or hospital bills is seen as important, but satisfaction with these applications is low. Benefits of mobile banking are described as it being quick, accessible, and cheap; while drawbacks are agents' lack of liquidity and long queues there, as well as the risk of losing one's phone.Mobile banking and economic development: linking adoption, impact, and use « Asian Journal of Communication
Jonathan Donner and Camilo Andres Tellez categorize prior research into mobile banking services in developing countries and provide an exploratory study from India. They find that mobile banking is used to store value, to convert cash in and out of stored value, and to transfer stored value between accounts. Their study examines the bi-directionality of influence, trends of amplification versus change, and the multi-dimensionality of trust among Indian small businesses. They find that face-to-face communication is prevalent in the extension of credit. The draw up three categories of businesses; relational businesses which will not extend credit to customers, locational businesses which will do so to customers from the neighbourhood, and formal businesses, which are more open to granting credit to outsiders. They conclude that concerns remain over mobile-mediated credit, and that the ability of a technology to mediate relationship might not mean that it will do so.July 10 2011
Citizen Journalism and Democracy in Africa
Fackson Banda explores the state of citizen journalism in Africa, with particular emphasis on its implications for democracy. The study and the case studies it entails are focused mostly on institutionalized citizen journalism, i.e. platforms sponsored by media companies or NGOs. Nevertheless, Banda concludes that conventional media are reluctant to use and incorporate citizen journalism. With regard to democracy, the author posits that citizen journalism is participatory democracy, but he also finds that the practice prospers in free and pluralistic environments. While Banda does not see a business model for citizen journalism, he argues that its sustainability should be understood in terms of “democratic sustainability”; i.e. a media supported by the willingness of citizens to take up communicative spaces afforded by ICT.July 04 2011
Citizen Journalism and the Parallel Market of Information in Zimbabwe's 2008 Election « Journalism Studies
Dumisani Moyo analyzes instances of citizen journalism during Zimbabwe's 2008 election. He posits that in the absence of reliable professional news sources, a "parallel market of information", analogous to a black market for goods, evolved, marked by rumour and speculation. Moyo defines citizen journalism broadly, including not only blogs, but also SMS. He gives examples of SMS being used to mock the political system and president Mugabe, as well as to convey updates on election results; blogs are described as conveying personal, emotional takes on the situation. Moyo also finds that traditional media take cues from citizen journalists for their own work.July 03 2011
Africa on YouTube: Musicians, Tourists, Missionaries and Aid Workers « International Communication Gazette
Melissa Wall analyzes videos on Youtube in 2007 tagged as coming from Ghana and Kenya. She finds that entertainment, in particular music videos are most common, followed by videos made by tourists. News and generally informational content is rare. The overwhelming share of videos is posted by non-Africans, which the author interprets as showing that Africa's representation is constructed by Westerners.July 01 2011
4chan and /b/: An Analysis of Anonymity and Ephemerality in a Large Online Community
Bernstein et al. study the image board 4chan from the perspectives of anonymity and ephemerality. They find that average life times of threads on 4chan are extremely short, and that many posts go without response. Close to no users use pseudonyms or real names. The authors argue that 4chan's ephemerality may help its productivity as a meme factory, as it requires high-frequency repetition. Anonymity, while leading to anti-social behaviour, may increase identification with the group.June 29 2011
Readers of the Pack: American Bestselling « Bookforum
Ruth Franklin analysis a century of American non-fiction bestsellers. She does not find any obvious patterns in content and quality; rather, the list is, in the words of Michael Korda, "a reliable mixture of the good and the bad, of quality and trash". Over time, both amounts and speed of sales have increased. Franklin finds that bestseller lists have been dominated by a few mainstay writers most of the time, interpersed with outliers. Since the 1970's, however, the dominance of mainstay writers has increased up to a point that allows nearly no newcomers.Keeping the Internet Neutral? « Federal Communications Law Journal
Tim Wu and Christopher S. Yoo discuss net neutrality. Yoo proposes an approach focused on network diversity, i.e. increased competition on the last mile, e.g. with several networks targeting market sub-segments. Competition is enabled by reduced barriers of entry into the market. In this framework, Yoo sees access tiering as a means to respond to increasingly heterogeneous user demands. Wu defends network neutrality, emphasizing the negative effects of blocking (e.g. VoIP) and access tiering (leading to Most Favored Nation scenarios) on innovation. Increased competition on the last mile is unlikely, as high barriers for market entry remain. Wu notes that Yoo has a top-down, he himself a bottom-up view of innovation.May 18 2011
George Lakoff describes two opposite moralities in the American society, based on family ideals. Conservatives espouse a "strict father" model, which is based on punishment (and reward) as a means of fostering discipline, and extends into an understanding that those who are (economically) successful are morally right. On the other hand, progressives ascribe to a "nurturing parents'' model of upbringen, which is based around caring for others, and extends into notions of (e.g. environmental) protection. Lakoff further argues that conservatives have succeeded at utilizing metaphors and framing in the political discourse, whereas progressives as a result of their enlightenment roots cling to a facts-based, rational discourse.
April 16 2011
Recent Projects: Media Theories & Mobile Phone Economics
I’ve just come back from re:publica 11 with a hunch of impressions. I’ve talked to a lot of people, and I realize that living in Amsterdam, I miss this bustling net politics scene being part of which I enjoyed in Berlin. I will try to write a bit on my impressions later, but due to my studies that might take a while. However, I wanted to post a short note about what I’ve been up to lately. #
As many of you will have noticed, this blog has become rather silent lately. There are multiple reasons for that, but one is certainly that I have taken some time to focus on two academic publications for a book called “Disruptive Technologies, Innovation and Global Redesign: Emerging Implications”, which is edited by Ndubuisi Ekekwe of the African Institute of Technology and Nazrul Islam of Aberystwyth University. #
Together with Bruce Mutsvairo, who’s a PhD candidate at the University of Hull (and a lecturer at my college), and Louis Klamroth, I have written about the applicability of traditional media impact theories in the age of the Internet and, in particular, social media. One thing that is always striking me there is how little use even young people make of the diverse and accessible media landscape they take for granted to have at their hands (a prime example, in my eyes, is the finding of the 2009 JIM – Youth, Internet, Multimedia – report that 70% of German 12 to 19 years olds liked about television that they did not have to actively choose what content to access). #
Another chapter I wrote on my own reviews research on the economic impact of mobile phones in developing countries. This project started out with the research of Jenny Aker and Robert Jensen, who have conducted quantitative economic studies, but I have also included much qualitative research (e.g. by Ragnhild Overa). I find this topic particularly interesting because it steers away a bit from the hype that surrounds both digital activism and ICT4D. And the economists provide quantitative data, which is so badly missing from the latter discourses (Patrick Meier was also at re:publica, giving a great talk about Ushahidi. Still I wish he had rather presented his dissertation research, which might substantiate much of all this talk about Facebook revolutions). #
Both papers are currently under review. If you are interested, I’ll be happy to share a copy of my drafts with you, in particular of the second paper – just drop me a message at -simon [at] thisdomain-. There are also some other great news to share in the near future, but I have to await confirmation until I can spread the word. #
March 12 2011
Is the Internet Revolution Really Unprecedented?
How much new is there in our contemporary communications revolution, enabled by the Internet, pushed forward by blogs and microblogs? A look into history can be clarifying. And it is surprising how often Elizabeth Eisenstein uses the same phrases that today describe the purportedly unprecedented characteristics of the Internet to tell her history of “The Printing Revolution in Early Modern Europe”. #
The similarity between blog and printing press is to obvious to go unnoticed, and many have extended on this allegory. But Eisenstein’s account highlights details which most advocates of the rise of those who were formerly called the audience will likely overlook. Who would have guessed that crowdsourcing is a practice half a millenium old? But indeed, early printers of maps and globes and natural compendia already asked their readers to contribute their discoveries to following editions, as Eisenstein shows. “After printing, large-scale data collection did become subjects to new forms of feedback which had not been possible in the age of scribes.” #
This, of course, is not the collaborative process enabled by the Internet which we see today in the Wikipedia, and which Clay Shirky invests so much hope in. But Eisenstein’s work is fascinating because it allows us to look for the general principles that communications revolutions come with. Enhanced feedback processes, it seems, are one of them. #
I have often heard from sceptics that they don’t see any new ideas in blogs. How can a medium be revolutionary if it just spreads the contents of its traditional predecessors, undermixed with urban myths and conspiracy theories, they ask. A historical perspective seems helpful, because the same is true for the printing press: Early printed books did barely contain any new content; in fact, they often served to spread myths and charlatanry, alongside the same old, unscientific theories as before. #
Eisenstein claims that there is a benefit in knowing three wrong theories instead of one. From comparison, their inconsistence can be realized – and new, better-fitting theories can be devised. We might think similarly about the Internet. My generation has already grown up with near infinite sources of information at their hands, open for comparison. Surely, most people don’t use these intellectual pastures of plenty, but what can they effect as tools of those who do? #
“The Printing Revolution in Early Modern Europe” had originally come to my attention via a mention in Graeme Kirkpatrick’s “Technology & Social Power”. There, the author enhances Eisenstein’s arguments in connecting it with Habermas’ writings on the emergence of the “public sphere”. He writes that “only through the agency of print [...] does it become possible for people to think of themselves as members of an ‘imagined community’, the basis of modern nationalism”. #
The fascinating question that arises is, of course, whether this development will find an equivalent in the social media age. Ala’a Abdel Fattah recently wrote, regarding the current revolutions in the Middle East, that “[f]rom the internet and satellite TV a new pan-Arabism is born”, and Zeynep Tufekci (when rebutting Malcolm Gladwell) touched on hopes for an social media-enabled globalism as a possible force against global problems such as climate change: #
New movements that can bring about global social change will still require people who interact with each other regularly, and trust and depend on each other in somewhat dense networks. Or only hope is if those networks span the globe in a tightly-knit, broad web of activity, interaction, personalization. Real change will come only if we can make friends we care about everywhere and we make bridge ties that cover the world in a web of common humanity that is bigger and more powerful than a handful of corporations and the corrupt, self-perpetuating class of politicians. [...] I say, bring on the hive mind, please let it be global in scale as nothing less will do, and let Facebook and Twitter lead the way. #But is this global hive mind really emerging? Despite great efforts such as Global Voices, it doesn’t seem as if national media spheres were truly converging. I recently did a series of interviews for an upcoming publication, and inspired by Ala’a comment I also asked about the chances for a social media-enabled pan-Africanism. While most interviewees had high hopes, the status quo seems less promising. I’ll quote the great Ethan Zuckerman: #
I think that’s wildly optimistic. I see very little conversation outside of individual regions, with the exception of a few cross-continent ties (Kenya to Ghana, for instance.) It’s rare to see dialog between Anglophone and Francophone speakers, for instance, and the conceptual barrier that separates sub-Saharan and Northern Africa remains firmly in place in a digital age. I’d love to see digital media emerge into regional media, and will wait to see that before I indulge in Nkrumist fantasies. #Elizabeth L. Eisenstein: The Printing Revolution in Early Modern Europe. Cambridge University Press, 2005. Amazon. #
March 02 2011
Mobile Phones: The New Talking Drums of Everyday Africa? (Book Review)
I have been reading up on mobile phone use in developing countries recently for a couple of papers. One of the few books entirely devoted to the issue is “Mobile Phones: The New Talking Drums of Everyday Africa”, edited by Mirjam de Bruijn, Francis Nyamnjoh and Inge Brinkman from the African Studies Centre in Leiden and published in 2009 in cooperation with Cameroon’s Langaa group. #
The book takes an anthropological and historical perspective on the role of mobile telephony in a wide range of (sub-Saharan) African societies. It includes chapters on the call-box business in Cameroon, a traditional healer’s use of the mobile phone, and the ‘biography’ of a mobile phone in Tanzania, to name just a few. #
One chapter of particular interest to me, and which proved to be highly disappointing, is Thomas Molony’s account of a Tanzanian wholesaler’s non-use of mobile telephony. The author first outlines how traders of perishables in Tanzania use mobile phones to transmit supply and demand information, a field that is well researched in a range of quantitative studies (see Aker, 2008, 2010; Jensen, 2007). He also looks at the efforts farmers had to undertake in 2004, when Molony conducted his research, to access mobile phone networks (a situation that has certainly improved since then). #
Despite finding that mobile phone usage was already wide-spread among wholesalers in 2003 (when it was considerable more expensive then today), Molony then singles out one trader who, at that point, refused to use a mobile phone to argue that “the telephone may be considered unimportant because personal relationships are formed during meetings conducted in person”. On this still successful wholesaler, he writes that #
while not having a mobile phone may make his jo hectic and he may lose some friends alng the way when he is unable to sell farmers’ consignments to his many contacts in Dar es Salaam, his visits to farmers ensure that he is known localy, and crucially, recommended to emerging farmers”. #While the importance of face-to-face contact for trust-building should not be underestimated, I was disappointed with this conclusion which stands in seeming contradiction to most of the preceding chapter. Moreover, the author ignores much of the relevant literature, in particular Overå’s (2006) very similar, great research on wholesalers’ use of mobile phones in Ghana. #
This ignorance of related empirical literature has bugged me throughout the whole book. There is a great deal of references to other anthropological studies, but in the end, a lot of anecdotes still doesn’t make up for the need of quantitative evidence. Another issue is that much of the research the chapter are based on was conducted as early as 2003. In the history of mobile telephony, the six years that are between data collection and the book’s publication in 2009 are a lifetime, and many of the observations might well be outdated today. #
“Mobile Phones: The New Talking Drums of Everyday Africa” provides some interesting qualitative research from a great variety of countries and a range of different viewpoints. I also like the fact that it includes at least some chapters by African researchers, who are often greatly underrepresented. However, in the end, I felt that the book lacks a quantitative component to assess the relevance of the phenomena described. #
Mirjam de Bruijn, Francis Nyamnjoh, & Inge Brinkman (editors). Mobile Phones: The New Talking Drums of Africa. 2009. Bamenda: Langaa. Amazon.com. #
February 28 2011
Networks, Distance and Trust: Telecommunications Development and Changing Trading Practices in Ghana « World Development
Ragnhild Overå presents case studies on the impact of (mobile) telephone adoption among Ghanaian wholesale traders. She finds that time and money can be saved by substituting phone communication for traveling to obtain information and coordinate with partners. Improved access to information makes markets more efficient. Furthermore, mobile phones can be used to strengthen ties between traders and to customers. Although face-to-face communication is necessary to build initial trust, mobile telephony enables more frequent interaction which reinforces existing trust relationships, and facilitates remote monitoring.Maybe Soup is currently being updated? I'll try again automatically in a few seconds...
