MOBILE MEDIA - TODAY's NEW MEDIA?

The issue of the disparities between traditional and new media has sparked a debate as to whether new media is independent of old media. To some, new media is just another face of old media, much like the phrase “old wine in a new bottle”. This too, can be said of mobile phones or mobile technology. This paper will attempt to bring out the similarities between old and new mobile media as well as show how new mobile media may be a spinoff of old mobile media.

            The first similarity between old and new mobile technology is the fact that they both originated and are based on the concept of communication. The dire need for man to get fast and reliable information was the leading cause of the emergence of mobile technology, which led to the insatiable thirst for a more interactive form of communication.

            Knowledge and information has been man's preoccupation from the early times. This information will need a medium and other means of mobile media like the clay tablet and papyrus proved ineffective in terms of timeliness  and storage, hence the birth of mobile phones. Simply put, whether new media or old mobile technology, both forms of mediums arose from man's quest for knowledge and need for information.

            Another similarity between old and new mobile technology is that both were conceived from the innards of a technology-pushed society. According to Chandler (1995), proponents of technology-led theories like "Technological Determinism" hold that particular technical developments, communications technologies or media, or, most broadly, technology in general are the sole or prime antecedent causes of changes in society, and technology is seen as the fundamental condition underlying the pattern of social organization.

          Technological determinists interpret technology in general and communications technologies in particular as the basis of society in the past, present and even the future. They say that technologies such as writing or print or television or the computer 'changed society'. This can be interpreted in terms of mobile phones which arose from man's fascination with technology.

One another great similarity between old and new mobile phones or technology is the fact that some new mobile technologies evolved from old ones. For example, the basic function of a mobile phone which include the call feature, exists in all mobile phones, new or old. The call feature was the main function of the mobile phone and has always remained as such. All other added features arrived at a time when the need and means made it a possibility. 

            Also, mobile phones, new or old, both have the capacity to influence man and his society. McLuhan (1964) makes mention of the fact that traditional media affects man, through its medium. By this, he meant that the medium or technology used in any communication is capable of affecting man and his society. 

            Similarly, the advent of mobile technology has drastically affected man in his relation to his environment. The earliest phones has a great impact in society in terms of wars and other political events. So too has the new mobile phones. Howard Rheingold begins his book, "Smart Mobs",  with an observation he had in Japan that changed  the way he thought about the uses of a mobile phone:

"The first signs of the next shift began to reveal  themselves to me on a spring afternoon. That was when I began to notice people on the streets of Tokyo staring at their mobile phones instead of talking to them."

           

            This has given rise to a rising trend of asynchronous commuication and has been argued that mobile communication is an impoverished and sterile form of social exchange compared to traditional face-to-face interactions, and will therefore produce negative outcomes (loneliness and depression) for its users as well as weaken neighbourhood and community ties. (Bargh, 2004)

            However, one should note that no matter the similarities presented, there are glaring differences between old and new mobile technologies. These differences exist in various contexts and timeframes, which present different outcomes to the framework of mobile media and mobile phones.

            The first difference between old and new mobile phone technology will have to deal with their origins and historical timeline as one preceded the other. There is a historical chronology for both technologies; they did not originate and exist simultaneously. Old mobile phones (as the name denotes), preceded the New mobile media and has been often acknowledged as the foundation for the birth of new mobile technology due to man's need for a more interactive medium of communication. 

            The old phones were created in the past, and the much newer, sophisticated ones came afterwards. Farmann (2012) writes that the first mobile phones, built  in  1910  by  a  Swedish  electrical  engineer by  the  name  of Lars  Magnus Ericsson, is a far cry from what we have today. it was originally created as a car phone as described by John Meurling and Richard Jeans:

In today's terminology, the system was an early "telepoint" application: you could make telephone calls from the car..."

            Another difference between old and new mobile phones will be the issue of portability. The old mobile phones were large due to the fact that it required a massive power source to function properly. This made the old phones heavy and difficult to transport.

            Farmann also mentioned that one of the first problems faced with the old phones was the conflict between the power source and the portability of radio. Early radios required a massive amount of power and thus required an equally massive battery. This limited the use of radio to naval ships initially, and automobiles later on, which were each large enough to house  the equipment and the battery required to power the device. 

            As technology evolved, the newer phones became more portable mainly due to the discovery of rechargeable batteries. Jon Agar (2003) noted that one of the most important  factors allowing phones to be carried  in  pockets and bags has been  remarkable advances  in battery  technology.  As batteries  have become  more powerful,  so they have  also become  smaller.  Partly  because  improvements  in battery design have  been  incremental,  their  role  in  technological change is often underestimated. 

            Also, the issue of accessibility is one major difference between old and new mobile phones and mobile technology. Newer phones are more accessible to the public mainly due to the fact that they are portable enough to be transported. As earlier mentioned by Farmann, the bulky nature of old mobile phones limited its use to naval ships initially, and automobiles later on, which were each large enough to house the equipment and the battery required to power the device.  

            Thus, the old phones were not open to the  general public and was restricted to mostly government structures. Nowadays, one can find the new mobile phones being used by almost everyone, young or old, rich or poor due to the technologies that arrived to make this possible.

            In the same light, one can argue that the issue of accessibility was also due to the cost of phones. The old phones were very expensive to produce and therefore expensive to purchase, reason why only few were made and few were used by a handful of organisations. Today, phones have been made almost cheap and has flooded that market, making it possible for almost anyone to purchase a standard mobile phone.

            Another difference between old and new mobile technology lies in its functionality. Older mobile phones were created for one main purpose: voice calls. Nowadays, the newer models have all sorts of capabilities, ranging from text to picture to video support.

            Krishnasamy  (2014) believes that New media is essentially a cyber culture with modern computer technology, digital data controlled by software and the latest fast developing communication technology. This has also been made possible with new mobile phones which are almost replacing computers in everyday life.

            These new mobile phones, unlike their ancient counterparts, have the characteristics of being networkable, dense, compressible, interactive and impartial. Example is shown as the new mobile technology can incorporate  the internet, and entertainment, multimedia, games etc on one device.

            Conclusively, when one looks at these differences between the old and new mobile technologies, one realises that there has been a considerable change in the timeline of mobile phones. They may have their differences, but their similarities go to point out that there is no stand-alone technology, rather an amelioration of previous ones. 

            In the case of old and new mobile media, one finds out that new mobile technology did not originate in a vacuum, but rather from the technical and contextual foundations of ancient mobile technology. Their differences are just in agreement to the concept of change and growth, but not a testimony to a completely different form of communications medium.

             However, it should be borne in mind that the concept of ‘new’ and ‘old’ is often in the context of time. This simply means that the ‘old’ media we know today was once new media in its time and in 50 years from now, today's ‘new’ media would be regarded as old media and these differences exist as an indication of passing time.

Works cited:

1 - Chandler, Daniel (1995): 'Technological or Media Determinism' [WWW document]

       http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/tecdet/tecdet.html [13th June 2014]

2- Howard  Rheingold,  Smart Mobs:  The Next Social  Revolution  (Cambridge, MA:  Perseus

     Books, 2002), xi.

3- Jason Farman, Historicizing Mobile Media: Locating the Transformations of Embodied          Space 2012, The Mobile Media Reader, Vol 73

4- John Meurling and Ridlard Jeans, The Mobile Phone Book: The Invention of  the Mobile Phone Industry (London: Communications Week International, 1994), 43.

5 - Jon Agar, Constant Touch: A  Global History  of  the Mobile Phone (Cambridge, UK: Icon Books, 2003),10.

6- Nagasvare Krishnasamy, (2014), New Media vs Traditional Media, IPPTAR,  Malaysia.

     http://www.Mobile Media/New Media vs Traditional Media _ AIBD - Asia Pacific    Institute for Broadcasting Development.htm [13th June 2014]

CROWDSOURCING FINAL PROJECT

       
          Crowdsourcing has become a normal trend, but some still argue its potential for education. This is due to the fact that it relies on expertise from non experts who possibly act out of emotions which tend to lead to bias. However, some projects have proved fruitful which show that the public is a great resource to be exploited.       
          
                                            
          
  My efforts to get a Cameroonian artist into Wikipedia was one of the most challenging activities I had to undertake. Being an avid blogger and a proponent of quality entertainment, I made it a goal to see into it that Stanley Enow got into the site.

            It was an inside and outside challenge as I faced both internal and external hindrances. Externally, I had to get people who didn't even know about him to write articles and submit to Wikipedia. This proved tedious as I had to constantly remind them, which almost made me a stalker.

            Internally, I had to contact other bloggers to submit verified fact about the artist, as it was almost impossible to get to him due to his tight schedule. Also, most people became jealous of the attention he was getting and decided to sabotage the project.

            Consequently, when the artist was nominated, his recognition leaped and so I was able to convincingly persuade people to write, and they willingly did so. Finally, Wikipedia included him which made him the first Cameroonian youth to feature in Wikipedia. 

            The role of others in the project was very vital, as I alone could not have managed to realise the project. I found out that all the articled I had been writing were taken into account and the information used in the final article of the artist.





In order to understand why some people are willing to engage in the crowdsourcing effort, I had a chat with a fellow blogger-turned-participant.  Here is the chat (from Facebook) on how he felt about participating in crowdsourcing projects:

Me: Hello sir, nice to finally meet you
Baba: Hello Hansel, Good day.
Me: Finally got hold of you.
Baba: Yes, sorry for the unanswered calls.
Me: No problem, well, straight to the point.
Baba: Ok oh

Me: Have you realised that we as Cameroonian bloggers need to put showbiz   into the map?

Baba: How do you mean?

Me: I think the world should know more about Cameroon's budding arts and culture.

Baba: Oh, that's true. But how?

Me: Are you a registered contributor on Wikipedia?

Baba: Yes, but I'm trying to get myself there.

Me: How?

Baba: I want to be on Wikipedia too

Me: Everyone wants to be on Wikipedia. One at a time. I think we should get Stanley Enow on Wikipedia. It will boost his career and Cameroon's image.

Baba: What's in it for me? Are you getting paid by him?

Me: No. I wish. lol. I'm doing it cos you know how much I love entertainment. Plus, it's a school project.

Baba: Ah, ok.

Me: Do you often join crowdsourcing projects?

Baba: Yes, I joined one that allows one to download trial games, play and report any faults in programming.

Me: and I'm sure you joined that because you're an avid gamer.

Baba: Of course. You know me.

Me: Ok, back to the issue, I know you are also a blogger. That is why i want you to write a good article about Stanley Enow and submit it to the Wikipedia team. Contact your fellow bloggers in the Diaspora to do same. It might help.

Baba: You know those people, they will start asking many questions and eventually drop the whole stuff.

Me: Why do you say so?

Baba: They believe that we are inferior to them. They only engage in high class activities  and politics.

Me: Tell them it's about reviving our culture.

Baba: I'm telling you, those people don't even listen to hip hop. They are old fashioned.

Me: Anyway, just give me their contcts and I will get to them.

Baba: Ok, I will inbox.

Me: So are you joining the project?

Baba: Hmmm. Ok, no problem. But do you know how long I have been trying to get myself into Wikipedia?

Me: I know. I tried it too. It takes more than one person to do so, trust me. That's why I want us to rally behind Stanley Enow and make this a dream come true.

Baba: Ok, no prob. I'll start working on it as soon as I am done writing about our National Team and the World Cup.

Me: Good luck, and thanks for your time.

Baba: You're welcome bro. Be safe.               

            From the above chat, I learned some vital issues with regards to peoples' participation in crowdsourcing events or projects. Firstly, some people will on join crowdsourcing forums that are of interest of them. This is very normal as most often, when online, we visit sites that are familiar to us and can keep our interest.
            Secondly, some people will expect financial compensation in order to partake in activities that are of little or no interest to them. This financial motivation will spur their interest and 'bribe' them into acting according to the wishes of the initiator of a crowdsourcing project.
            In the end, one finds out that people who think alike always identify with each other, and it is this bond that serves as a massive voice that can impact change and influence decisions. The power of the public should not be taken too seriously but on the other hand should not be ignored because they help shape the emergence of better products.

Stanley Enow's Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Enow

Viral and contagious: Wisdom of Crowd: Crowdsourcing, Ushahidi, Twitter and Black Twitter, FB, Kickstarter 

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/10/04/101004fa_fact_gladwell?currentPage=all 

www.wikipedia.com/ngwanehansel

Falcioni, John G. "Project Crowdsourcing." Mechanical Engineering 132.12 (2010): 6-. ABI/INFORM Complete. Web. 2 Oct. 2011.

DIGITAL DIVIDE IN AFRICA: CASE STUDY – CAMEROON AND INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY

The ongoing progress in communications technology has ushered a global demand for technological awareness and literacy. Information and communications technology in developed countries has grown leaps and bounds, but the same cannot be said for emerging nations. This paper will look into the reasons for digital divide in Africa in general and Cameroon in particular, as well as its effects and remedies.

The Digital Divide, or the digital split, is a social issue referring to the differing amount of information between those who have access to the Internet (especially broadband access) and those who do not have access. The term became popular among concerned parties, such as scholars, policy makers, and advocacy groups, in the late 1990s. In Africa and in Cameroon especially, this split occurs for the following reasons.

One often cited reason is the economic weakness of most African countries.  “Countries with an initial  advantage  in  the  creation,  organization,  and  dissemination  of  knowledge  and information seem poised to benefit disproportionately from the Internet” (Guillén and Suárez).

This is evident in the case of Cameroon where its unstable economy has made it almost impossible for everyone to be connected to digital technology and the internet. Not everyone can afford the classy devices like smart phone, iPhone, tablets etc.

Another reason for the digital divide in Africa is the differences in income and the ability to pay for Internet access.  Creating networks are very expensive and ICT companies need to recover the costs. As the vast majority of citizens in developing nations are unable to pay for  the  high  costs,  these  costs  remain  a  major  impediment  to  Internet  diffusion. A  2004 statistical  study  showed  that  “53.4  percent  of  the  gap  between  the  United  States  and  Sub-Saharan  African  PC  use  is  accounted  for  by  income  differentials”  (Chinn  and  Fairlie).

This explains why in Cameroon, even those who struggle to purchase digital devices still have a hard time connecting them to a stable internet provider. So even one gets these digital media devices, the costly nature of connecting to the internet is another burden.

Another reason for the digital divide in Africa is the high technological illiteracy rate in the continent. In some parts of Africa, some people have never seen a smart phone, let alone are able to use one. In Cameroon, some areas have never witnessed the coming of iPhones and tablets, and giving them one will not solve the issue as they have no iota of idea how to manipulate them. Sadly still, some of them show total indifference in grasping these technological skills.

Cameroon especially suffers from infrequent power supply. Electricity is needed for the running of the communications system and power shortage greatly hinders its progress. One finds out that the internet system is down due to frequent power cuts, so the devices themselves become more or less redundant. All these occur due to Africa’s economic failure.

The UN Human Development Report shows that Sub-Saharan Africa is the least developed region of the world in terms of life expectancy, school enrolment ratio, income (UNHDR, 2005,p.222), and undernourishment (UNHDR,2005,p.243). Somebody born in a Sub-Saharan country can expect to live 33 fewer years than a person born in a rich country (UNHDR, 2005, p.26). Africa is the continent most struck by poverty and other global problems.

The effects of digital divide in Cameroon are not left out, as this phenomenon prevails. In  an  increasingly technological  and  information-based  economy,  the  use  of  information  is  especially  vital  in such  economic  activity.  The  increasing  use  of  ICT  contributes  to  economic  growth  by enabling  the  “production  of  goods  in  a  short  amount  of  time  with  the  assistance  of computerized systems. Services are also provided more efficiently and rapidly” (Bongo). The digital divide and the digital “illiteracy” that results thereof necessarily restrict this growth.

In Africa and Cameroon especially, the lack of this system has greatly slowed down production processes and has shaken the economic growth of the country.

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  Internet  has  favored  economic  development  in  the developed nations, and in fact various sources are  optimistic about the impact of the Internet on  those  nations.  In  May  2011,  the  McKinsey  Global  Institute  reported  that  the  Internet accounts  for  21%  of  GDP  growth  in  the  last  5  years  in  the  G8,  South  Korea  and  Sweden (nations with  “high  Internet penetration”) and  Brazil, China and  India (“large, high-growth economies”)  (Du Rausas  et al).  

The digital divide also has political implications, for two reasons. First, the digital divide  disables  the  vast  majority  of  the  poor  from  accessing  the  Internet,  thereby  creating digital  illiteracy.  “It  is  the  capability  to  use  social  and  cultural  skills  in  ways  that  allow individuals  to  benefit  from  the  use  of  technology.  [Digital]  illiteracy  condemns  people  to silence,  non-communication,  enforced  idleness  and  hence  to  social  exclusion  and  de  facto non-citizenship”  (Cohendet).  

Secondly, it has been argued that the Internet will continue to serve  the  interests  of  the  rich  and  the  powerful  rather  than  the  poor. The Internet, in countries of uneven economic development, disproportionately favors the political activities of the rich and the privileged rather than the poor who have very little access to the Internet (Qiang, Pitt and Ayers).

Finally, the digital divide, as its name suggests, is self-explanatory in its effect. That is, its presence further creates digital divide. Cameroonians who are absent from technological spheres are further left behind by their peers who have a digital presence.

Tackling this issue has been an ongoing battle, as mostly elites try to help the poor masses through donations. In Africa, work is being done to cut down the rate of technological illiteracy and bridge the gap. First of all, the governments should make policies that favor the growth of technology in the various African countries. These policies should be aimed at providing affordable internet facilities to all.

Another way to solve this crisis would be to work on the power supply in Cameroon especially. This would go a long way to aid in the smooth functioning of the technological systems that rely on electricity. Also, installing solar energy or renewable energy structures might help alleviate the digital gap in African societies.

Also, African societies could open up to opportunities from the West. James (2003) argues that one possibility for solving the global divide is to transport old computers from rich to poor countries. The lifetime of a Western business computer is only 2–3 years, this is due to rapid technological progress and the non-upgradeability of most hardware which causes people to buy new computers every 2 or 3 years as well as heavy profits of the hardware and software industry.

In  conclusion,  “most  researchers have the opinion that the Internet  has  both  empowered  and discriminated, enabling some to pursue a better life while leaving the majority of the world's population behind”  (Guillén and Suárez).  

This does not mean that the Internet will always favor the rich, but it is now in the hands of regulators and governments to realign the incentives that will help increase Internet usage and bring all the benefits of the Internet.

While the Internet has the potential for economic and political change  in these nations, we have to remember that the Internet is much like the train system  –  the benefits of the train system only extend as far as the train tracks run. The goal now is to extend the networks.





ASSOCIATED LINKS 

https://projeqt.com/preview/028e1dfbb2a81bf9e5b5917b27e4f4ec/ngwanehansel/digital-divide-in-africa-case-study-cameroon-and-information-and-communicati/1/l

http://www.capzles.com/67fc9dbc-3ba4-49af-82e6-f8ad9dbc519a 

http://photopeach.com/album/gw4431

https://www.zeemaps.com/map?group=878320&location=Africa&add=1 

Works Cited

Bongo, P. (19 Jan. 2005.). The Impact of ICT on Economic Growth. EconPapers, .

Chinn, M. D. (2006). “The Determinants of the Global Digital Divide: A Cross-country Analysis of Computer and Internet Penetration.” . Oxford Economic Papers 59.1, 16-44.

Cohendet, P. (2003). The Digital Divide in the European Enlarged Economic Scenario : An Assessment of the Socio-economic Effects. . Strasbourg: University Louis Pasteur.

Du Rausas, M. P. (2011). Internet Matters: The Net's Sweeping Impact on Growth, Jobs, and Prosperity. . McKinsey Global Institute.

Guillén, M. F. (2013, June). “Explaining the Global Digital Divide: Economic, Political and Sociological Drivers of Cross-National Internet Use.”. Social Forces, 681-708.

Qiang, C. Z.-W. (2004). Contribution of Information and Communication Technologies to Growth. Working paper no. 24.