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Becoming a Mobile Internet User in a South African Rural Area: The Case of Women in Dwesa

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Citizen, Territory and Technologies: Smart Learning Contexts and Practices (SLERD 2017)

Part of the book series: Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies ((SIST,volume 80))

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Abstract

The pervasiveness of mobile phones enables people in marginalised contexts, including African rural areas, to access the Internet. Evidence suggests that women are increasingly at the forefront of ICT adoption. This paper explores how and why women in Dwesa, a South African rural area, learn to access the Internet on their mobile phones. Extensive research in this area was analysed to provide a solid background to a small-scale, in-depth qualitative study. Our findings reveal that rural women can be digitally literate and information-aware users who are deeply embedded in local social networks and use their phone to mediate the local context. This is significant as it contradicts a stereotypical image of African rural women as marginal participants in the information age.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa

    Lorenzo Dalvit & Mfundiso Miya

Authors
  1. Lorenzo Dalvit
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  2. Mfundiso Miya
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lorenzo Dalvit .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Communication and Art, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal

    Óscar Mealha

  2. Department of Computer and Information Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway

    Monica Divitini

  3. Department of Architecture, Design, and Media Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark

    Matthias Rehm

Appendix A: Interview Schedule

Appendix A: Interview Schedule

  1. 1.

    What type of mobile do you have?

  2. 2.

    How did you get it?

  3. 3.

    When did you get your current phone?

  4. 4.

    Why do you have that particular device?

  5. 5.

    What is the Internet for you?

  6. 6.

    Where (on which device) do you access the Internet?

  7. 7.

    When did you first access mobile internet/when did you get your first phone that had internet?

  8. 8.

    Why did you first access mobile internet?

  9. 9.

    How did you learn about mobile internet?

  10. 10.

    How did you learn to use the Internet on your phone?

  11. 11.

    How did you learn about the symbols and/or icons on your mobile?

  12. 12.

    How/Where do you search for information on the internet?

  13. 13.

    What do you use the Internet for? When last?

  14. 14.

    Do you share content online?

  15. 15.

    What content do you share? How do you share the content?

  16. 16.

    Do you create videos or memes?

  17. 17.

    What do you use the internet the most for? When last?

  18. 18.

    What do you use the internet the least for? When last?

  19. 19.

    As a woman what are some of the problems that the internet helps you solve on a daily basis?

  20. 20.

    As a woman what does it mean to have internet access on a mobile? How would you say it is different for men?

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Dalvit, L., Miya, M. (2018). Becoming a Mobile Internet User in a South African Rural Area: The Case of Women in Dwesa. In: Mealha, Ó., Divitini, M., Rehm, M. (eds) Citizen, Territory and Technologies: Smart Learning Contexts and Practices. SLERD 2017. Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies, vol 80. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61322-2_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61322-2_10

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-61321-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-61322-2

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