Via Francois Bar’s Abaporu Project blog on technology appropriation.

In her paper, prepared for the 57th International Communication Association Pre-conference Workshop ‘Mobile Communication: Bringing us together or Tearing Us Apart?’, Araba Sey is researching around an essential question concerning ICTs: ‘Why connectivity matters?‘ and considers that the sustainable livelihoods approach should shape the future ICT developments.

Following the trend that moves the emphasis from technology on information, the young researcher considers that communication technologies is basically serving the same old human needs, being adapted by people at individual level and within their small or large communities. This matter is more obvious in poor areas of the world, where people have to struggle harder for a living and where feel the same emotional and social hunger to keep close to their family and friends. This way, in people’s hands, the cell phone becomes the flexible mean of attaining different goals. The need becomes a teacher and the imagination finds a way of adapting technology to address effectively the daily necessities.

Araba reached her conclusions by gathering and analyzing data on case studies in Ghana. Two main results supporting the prevalent importance of connectivity were that, on one hand, the people she studied use mobile phone to run their business, to get financial help and to keep in touch with their loved ones and, on the other hand, that they use cell phones in order to reach out, but especially to be reached. As smartly observed in Hofa’s story, the phone number becomes the mobile address of someone, a fact which is extremely important in a country where there are plenty of homes without a physical address.

More in Araba’s paper. Also, a very useful additional reading is the article on technology appropriation to be found in Fran√ßois’ blog.

Via Francois Bar’s Abaporu Project blog on technology appropriation.
In her paper, prepared for the 57th International Communication Association Pre-conference Workshop ‘Mobile Communication: Bringing us together or Tearing Us Apart?’, Araba Sey is researching around an essential question concerning ICTs: ‘Why connectivity matters?‘ and considers that the sustainable livelihoods approach should shape the future ICT developments.
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