getting the numbers straight: mobile internet usage by low-income south african youth

Getting the Numbers Straight: Mobile Internet Usage by Low-Income South African Youth Tino Kreutzer - University of Cape Town

Getting the Numbers Straight

Mobile Internet Usage by Low-Income South African Youth

Tino KreutzerCentre for Film and Media StudiesUniversity of Cape Town


The Challenge

• Extreme growth of cell phone usage across Africa• Much talk about new opportunities• Some research in certain fields on the opportunities of

cell phone usage, but lack of reliable underlying data

GSM Association: Growth of mobile subscribers in Africa


The Challenge

• Industry reported data is insufficient– Only shows number of active SIM cards

– Multiple SIM card use and shared phones

• Household surveys – often too broad, not always reliable

• Detailed quantitative data hard to obtain


The South African case

Source: AMPS 2007

• Extreme inequalities among racial groups for Internet usage – a challenge

• Research remains locked down

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

Total Black Coloured Indian White

yesterday past 12 months

All Media and Product Survey 2007: Internet used among 16-19-year-olds


Getting the Numbers Straight - The Project

• Obtain detailed reliable quantitative data on cell phone usage by South African youth

• Multi-level piloting of quantitative survey methods

• Cultural probes and individual interviews to get the questions right


Research Stages

2008 2009

Pilot study: a township high school (May 2008)

Urban in-depth study: Cape Town metro area (November 2008)

Other countries: starting 2009/2010

National study: 2009

2010


Pilot study results

Pilot a quantitative approach and specific questionnaire design in an urban extreme case high school in

Samora Machel township – a very low-income neighborhood

Urban Pilot Study


Gadget usage and ownership

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

cell phone mp3 player or iPod desktop computer laptop digital camera game console

ever used used yesterday own

Pilot study results – N=66


Personal communication on the previous day

91% 65% 62% 53% 32%0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

any personalcommunication

send a textmessage

make a phone call send please callme

give a missed call



Internet and Web usageon the previous day

83.2% 47.0% 40.9% 40.9% 30.3% 25.8%0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

any Internet use any IMapplications

used

get news orweather online

downloadsongs, videos or

ringtones

go online for noparticular reason

send andreceive email

Internet on traditional computer on the previous day: 20%Pilot study results – N=66


Entertainment on the previous day

27%82% 56% 53% 47% 44%0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

anyentertainment

use

take a picture play games record a video play music play video



Mobile instant messaging on the previous day

47% 29% 17% 9% 5%0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

any IMapplications used

MXit noknok méèp 2go



Usage micro factors on the previous day

47%82%83%91%0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

any personalcommunication

any Internet use any entertainmentuse

any IM applicationsused

Very high expenditure: on average R30 or $4 per week - about half of all expenses



Getting the questions right

• Conceptual challenges: no shared vocabulary

• Cultural probes and interviews to identify survey weaknesses

• Detailed activity questions on online activities


Getting the questions right


Current Research

Urban in-depth study: Urban in-depth study: Bottom 50% most deprived neighborhoods Bottom 50% most deprived neighborhoods

in Cape Town metro area (N=600)in Cape Town metro area (N=600)


Next steps

• Current research published in November 2008

• Regional and national level research 2009

• Other African countries

• Qualitative follow-up

• Partners! Cooperation!


All resultstinokreutzer.org/mobile

Email/MXit/GTalktino.kreutzer @ gmail.com

getting the numbers straight: mobile internet usage by low-income south african youth

Education