Articles
Do mobile phones replace public access computers?
Mobile phone use is soaring, especially in developing and transitioning countries. What does the dramatic increase in mobile use — and particularly mobile Internet use — mean for public access venues? Do mobile phones replace public access to computers and the Internet in venues such as libraries, cybercafes, and telecenters? If one has the Internet in their pocket, why do they still use public access ICTs? As part of the Global Impact Study of Public Access to Information and Communication Technologies, researchers in South Africa set out to answer these questions and more. The full research report and research brief are now available.
The Technology & Social Change Group (TASCHA) announced the release of the Mobile Internet in-depth study research report, Public access, private mobile: The interplay of shared access and the mobile Internet for Teenagers in Cape Town.
Some of the findings of the report include:
1. Public access and private mobiles offer different affordances, and teenage users have developed complex, fine-grained practices which help them to negotiate the respective strengths and weaknesses of the affordances.
2. The public access venue provides non-substitutable impact to resource-constrained users, even those with “the Internet in their pocket.”
3. Public access supports the development of digital literacies associated with hyperlinked media and large-format documents, while mobile access supports everyday social literacies and messaging.
For more details, you can Download the research paper
The original article was published by Melody Clark on Tascha, February 7, 2013