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Imaging and Assessing Mobile Technology for Development

Richard Musabe, John Sören Pettersson (eds.)

Newcastle upon Tyne (UK): Cambridge Scholars Publishing (2024), xvi, 186 pp.

"Several studies have already depicted the development of M4D and of Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D), and that will not be repeated here. However, as this collection of chapters have sprung out from one of the M4D conferences – the M4D 2022 in Kigali – some notes ... on what have been salient at different conferences can be made. If we start with the M4D in Senegal 2014, we can see that from that conference stems a book where the chapters “initiate evocative conversations on how mobile technologies can contribute to expanding mobile participation practices” (Wamala-Larsson, Hellström, and Scharff 2015, 12). In Mozambique, in 2016, there were some contributions connecting to radio and TV technology; the M4D 2018 conference in Uganda included some papers on how utilities can be backed by subscription schemes via mobile services, as well as by apps where citizens can report dysfunctions and illicit use. The M4D 2020 did not take place, as the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the possibility of running a conference on site and it was postponed to 2022, when Rwanda saw the first blended M4D conference. The Zoom presence for several dozen participants over three days went very well and, via two cameras and two large screens at the venue site, they blended in well at the conference. The IT maturing effect caused by the pandemic was thus noticeable. Among the presentations it was noticeable that the Internet of Things and drones, often blended with machine learning, are now imaginable as “mobile technology”. Of course, drones are always mobile, and IoT sensors often travel with cargo, but it was the realisation of the affordability of these technologies for food chain, livestock, and crop management, combined with their reliance on mobile phone networks to make use of farmers’ photos and senor data, that made such presentations appropriate at a conference that focuses on affordable communication technology. While technology is a prerequisite, in this volume, based on selected contributions to that conference, we will balance some imaginations with some assessments. The focus will not be on the “new” M4D, even though we acknowledge that it is time to set up demonstration farms with IoT and machine learning, as pointed out by Ronald Katamba from Uganda in an interview (Pettersson and Rehema 2022, 145), and books are now published on Applying Drone Technologies and Robotics for Agricultural Sustainability (Raj, Saini, and Pacheco 2023, with examples from India and Zimbabwe; see also FAO and ITU 2022). Instead, the chapters selected for this book adhere to the theme of knowledge dissemination and knowledge development, as mentioned already. One chapter was invited to report from the African Center of Excellence in Internet of Things, hosted by the University of Rwanda in Kigali, to illustrate the efforts to build native technological competence on an advanced level. That chapter simultaneously demonstrates the growing pan-African collaboration in the academic infrastructuring project." (Foreword, pages x-xi) more

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The Mobile Economy Pacific Islands 2023

London: GSMA (2023), 44 pp.

"Mobile technologies underpin digital transformation in the Pacific Islands as authorities take steps to help economies recover from the Covid-19 pandemic and manage threats from climate change and natural disasters. Mobile is the first (in most cases only) form of internet connectivity for many con ... more

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Ûiiti: A treatment for ecological experience in mobile network culture

Greenman Muleh Mbillo Dani Ploeger

Journal of Environmental Media, volume 3, issue 1 (2022), pp. 177-180

"Ûiiti (‘the treatment’) is an Android phone app created by artist duo Greenman Muleh Mbillo, in Kenya, and Dani Ploeger, in the Netherlands. The work is a high-tech iteration of the 'nzevu', a ritual instrument of the Kenyan Akamba tribe. It transforms a smartphone from a networking technology ... more

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Smartphones: Die Macht in der Hand

iz3w, issue 376 (2020), pp. D1-D31

"Weltweit nutzen 3,3 Milliarden Menschen ein Smartphone, Tendenz weiter steigend. In nahezu allen Ländern des Südens ist die Verbreitung besonders groß. Nicht immer handelt es sich dabei um teure Topmodelle, aber gerade wegen ihrer Erschwinglichkeit sind allein in afrikanischen Ländern 700 Milli ... onen internetfähige Smartphones und nicht-internetfähige Mobile Phones im Gebrauch. Selbst in Ländern wie Somalia, wo Infrastrukturen gleich welcher Art kaum existent sind, funktioniert eines recht zuverlässig: das Mobilfunknetz. In einer High-Tech-Fabrik in Ruanda laufen seit neuestem täglich zehntausend »MaraPhones« genannte Smartphones vom Band. Die durch Smartphones und Mobile Phones entstehenden Möglichkeiten werden überall auf der Welt ausgiebig genutzt. Tiefgreifende gesellschaftliche und wirtschaftliche Veränderungen sind die Folge. Familiäre Beziehungen werden neu gestaltet und klassische Modelle sozialer Interaktion wie »Freundschaft« neu definiert. Praktisch jeder Wirtschaftssektor ist gründlich von den Handys auf den Kopf gestellt worden. Auch in der kleinbäuerlichen Landwirtschaft in Ostafrika gehören Smartphones längst zum Alltag. Ohne dem Kulturpessimismus zu frönen: Es liegt auf der Hand, dass all diese Entwicklungen nicht nur Chancen, sondern auch große Gefahren bergen. Mit keiner anderen systemrelevanten Technologie lassen sich Manipulation und Überwachung von Individuen besser bewerkstelligen als via Smartphone. Die mit erpresserischen Methoden exekutierte Datensammelwut der großen Konzerne hat durchaus eine Entsprechung in der Überwachung durch autoritäre Regime. Dagegen klingen frühere Dystopien à la »Big Brother is watching you« harmlos. Im Bereich des Politischen wird besonders deutlich, wie groß die partizipatorischen Potenziale einer Demokratie von unten via Social Media sind, aber auch, wie schnell diese in Regression, Manipulation und Repression münden. Der Arabische Frühling galt zu Recht als »Facebook-Revolution«, das hierarchische Sender-Empfänger-Prinzip war partiell aufgehoben. Was aber vor staatlicher Verfolgung nicht nur nicht schützte, sondern sie oft überhaupt erst ermöglichte. Perfektioniert wird politische Kontrolle via Smartphone einmal mehr von der KP der Volksrepublik China. Sie hält ihre 90 Millionen Parteimitglieder via App auf Kurs – und wehe, jemand liest zu wenig Beiträge und sammelt nicht genügend »Lernpunkte«! Beim Smartphone ist es eben wie beim Beton: Es kommt drauf an, was man draus macht." (Editorial, Seite D2) more

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External Evaluation of Mobile Phone Technology-Based Nutrition and Agriculture Advisory Services in Africa: Mobile Phones, Nutrition, and Health in Tanzania. Business Modelling Endline Report

Nigel Scott, Simon Batchelor, Jones. Tom

E-pact Consortium;Institute of Development Studies (IDS) (2020), 118 pp.

"mNutrition is a global initiative supported by FCDO, managed by GSMA, and implemented by in-country MNOs and third party providers to use mobile technology, that sought to improve the health and nutritional status of children and adults in the developing world. The potential to utilise mobile techn ... more

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Human Rights Guidance for the Mobile Industry

John Ruggie

London: GSMA (2020), 23 pp.

"The aim of this document is to provide an introduction for companies to consider the relevance of the following issues for their operations, as well as inspiration and resources to begin to formalise their management of human rights. It is recognised that many of these issues cannot be solved by on ... more

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Mobile for Development: Reducing Inequalities in Our World

London: GSMA (2020), 31 pp.

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Bridging the Mobile Disability Gap in Refugee Settings

Matthew Downer

London: GSMA (2019), 21 pp.

"Based on the findings of this report there are a number of recommendations for how stakeholders across the sector can play their part in bridging the mobile disability gap in refugee contexts. Stakeholders will be most effective if they are coordinated and base their actions on understanding the sp ... more

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Empowerment as Development: An Outline of an Analytical Concept for the Study of ICTs in the Global South

Jakob Svensson

In: Handbook of Communication for Development and Social Change

Jan Servaes (ed.)

Singapore: Springer (2018), 19 pp.

"It is a certainty that the proliferation of ICTs (mobile phones in particular) has opened up a range of possibilities and new avenues for individuals, aid agencies, and NGOs. However, overviews of communication supposedly for development reveal a field based on economic understandings of developmen ... more

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Media and Development
Top Insights

Richard Vokes

London; New York: Routledge (2018), xv, 300 pp.

"Drawing on case studies from all over the world – including: ‘hate radio’ in Rwanda; theatre for development in India; telenovelas in Latin America; mobile banking and money in Africa, and; GIS and humanitarianism in Haiti – thsi book will be of interest to all undergraduate and postgraduat ... more

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Beyond the Hype: Mobile Phones and the Web to Improve Agricultural Value Chains
Inspiring Practice

Paul Mundy, Benjamin Kwasi Addom, Krishan Bheenick

Wageningen: Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) (2017), 16 pp.

"CTA’s ICT4Ag project (2014–15) enabled seven organisations in Africa and the Caribbean to develop, test and promote information services for smallscale farmers and fishers, traders and lobbying groups. Key recommendations: Understanding users’ needs requires intensive interaction with potenti ... more

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Going to Scale with ICTs for Agriculture

Elizabeth Willmott-Harrop

Wageningen: Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) (2017), 31 pp.

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Inventory of Digital Technologies for Resilience in Asia-Pacific
Quick Overview

FHI 360;Rockefeller Foundation (2017), 103 pp.

"This inventory was developed by FHI 360, with grant funding from the Rockefeller Foundation, to support resilience practitioners and the broader development community to identify digital technologies that have the potential to enhance resilience outcomes, particularly in Asia. It was primarily popu ... more

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The Routledge Companion to Mobile Media

Gerard Goggin, Larissa Hjorth (eds.)

New York; London: Routledge, paperback ed. (2017), xxiii, 558 pp.

"The Routledge Companion to Mobile Media seeks to be the definitive publication for scholars and students interested in comprehending all the various aspects of mobile media. This collection, which gathers together original articles by a global roster of contributors from a variety of disciplines, s ... more

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Africa’s Voices Versus Big Data? The Value of Citizen Engagement Through Interactive Radio

Sharath Srinivasan, Claudia Abreu Lopes

In: Voice & Matter: Communication, Development and the Cultural Return

Oscar Hemer; Thomas Tufte (eds.)

Göteborg: Nordicom (2016), pp. 155-171

"We draw on insights from a two-year research project, Politics and Interactive Media in Africa (PiMA), and the related applied research pilot, Africa’s Voices, which worked with local radio stations in eight Sub-Saharan African countries. We examine the social and political significance of new op ... more

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Critiquing Participatory Video: Experiences from Around the World

Elizabeth-Jane Milne (ed.)

Area, volume 48, issue 4 (2016), pp. 401-451

"Over the past decade there has been a growing interest in participatory video, but accounts have often been celebratory and uncritical. At the same time there has been an ever-increasing multiplicity of interpretations, thus making participatory video seem ‘nebulous’ and ‘perplexing’. This ... more

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Smartphones

Paul A. Soukup

Communication Research Trends, volume 34, issue 4 (2015), pp. 3-39

"Many of the research approaches to smartphones actually regard them as more or less transparent points of access to other kinds of communication experiences. That is, rather than considering the smartphone as something in itself, the researchers look at how individuals use the smartphone for their ... communicative purposes, whether these be talking, surfing the web, using on-line data access for off-site data sources, downloading or uploading materials, or any kind of interaction with social media. They focus not so much on the smartphone itself but on the activities that people engage in with their smartphones. Though most communication research examines on individual and group usage of smartphones, a few people outside of the more technical journals and books have sketched—at least in overview form—the key factors for smartphone success, what Goggin and Hjorth (2014b) identify as infrastructure, economics, and policy. Apart from the manufacture of the handsets, smartphones require an infrastructure of telecommunications operators, with systems across the world divided between national telecommunication services and competing privately owned companies (Curwen & Whalley, 2014; Feijóo, 2014). Secondly, smartphones depend upon both formal and informal economies, from the manufacture and sale of the phones themselves to the production and sale of the apps to the revenues supporting particular app services (music sales, data storage, on-demand services, and so on) (Lobato & Thomas, 2014). Goldsmith (2014) adds a bit of detail, describing an app ecosystem: “Each ecosystem consists of a core company, which creates and maintains a platform and an app marketplace, plus small and large companies that produce apps and/or mobile devices for that platform” (p. 171). Finally, both manufacturers and operators must negotiate agreed-on technical specifications for voice and data transmission, specifications that governments must approve both locally and perhaps in cross-border treaty agreements (Middleton, 2014). These factors lead to a more complex view of smartphones: not only do they function as communication devices and embodiments of technical negotiations, but they also take on identities as symbols of economic and cultural systems, as “moral objects” (whose value justifies their purchase price), as fashion accessories, and as lifestyle supports (Koskinen, 2012, p. 225)." (Introduction, pages 3-4) more

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State of the Use of Mobile Technologies for Disaster Preparedness in South East Asia

Chih-Hui Lai, Arul Chib, Rich Ling

Singapore: Nanyang Technological University (2015), 66 pp.

"This project is conducted in response to Global Disaster Preparedness Center’s (GDPC) initiative of developing flood hazard preparedness mobile apps in the four target countries (Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Vietnam)." (Executive summary)

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M4D Impact Service Evaluation: Human Network International 3-2-1 Full Report

Adam Wills, Gilles Morain, Rodolphe Baudeau

GSMA (2015), 80 pp.

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Mobile Phones and Participatory Communication for Poverty Eradication on Public Service Broadcasting: The Case of Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC)

Amani K. Millanga

Mobile Media & Communication, volume 2, issue 3 (2014), pp. 281-297

"In this article it is argued that members of audience from different parts of Tanzania use mobile phones to participate in dialogue taking place on national radio (TBC-TAIFA) and/or national television (TBC1), and share their knowledge and lived experiences with the national audience as if they liv ... more

Media and Development Top Insights

Beyond the Hype: Mobile Phones and the Web to Improve Agricultural Value Chains Inspiring Practice

Inventory of Digital Technologies for Resilience in Asia-Pacific Quick Overview

Media and Development
Top Insights

Beyond the Hype: Mobile Phones and the Web to Improve Agricultural Value Chains
Inspiring Practice

Inventory of Digital Technologies for Resilience in Asia-Pacific
Quick Overview