Citizen Media

In this weeks reflection we take a look at citizen media using mobile technology in developing areas. MobileActive.org posted an article (Mobiles in Citizen Media) that describes the cell phone as a Swiss Army knife, meaning it has everything you could need for communication. This is true. Mobile phones have video, radio, camera, internet, SMS and voice capabilities. With so many features, these phones are the perfect device for areas that don’t have landlines or much computer access. We hear a lot about how wonderful mobile technology is, but rarely the other side of the coin.

Citizen media, according to MobileActive.org, is “everyday citizens posting news media directly from a mobile phone to the Internet or people’s cell phones and thus, an online public.” The MobileActive.org article talks about the positive impact of citizen media, but also about the struggles with using mobile technology. While the list is not surprising, it is obvious to know that there have to be challenges. Just because there is not a strong infrastructure say in Pakistan as there is in Seattle, people still need to work through frustrations when there are technological roadblocks. The majority of challenges deal with cost, but others are quite similar to developed nations.

Technical problems, spam and the issues of personal security are challenges that follow this technology, and one could assume that different culture deal with these in different ways. For US teens, it is not as drastic if text messages between friends are not received. But in a place that benefits from early warnings of natural disasters or terrorism, having uninterrupted service could save a life. For example, in Pakistan, mobile phones are used to tune into radio shows to warn citizens about areas of violence. You could argue that this type of information doesn’t have a price tag.

But with so many different programs for mobile communication sprouting up all over continents like Africa, how will communication unite people when everyone is connected, but all by different companies, programs and policies? Will there be pressure to unite for ease and profit sake? Will the efforts of NGO’s be forgotten or praised?

First-World Solutions Promote Change to New Technology

Karim Khoja’s story, Connecting a Nation: Roshan Brings Communication Services to Afghanistan, is a great description of how someone realized the need for modern technology and how he could help. The story begins with his shocked account “to hear that Afghans …once had to walk 700 miles to place an international call.” We have many modern conveniences available to us within arm’s reach in the United States, this statement brings a realization or urgency in the importance of affecting change. And while his account is that of a Croatian, it brings some authenticity to how people outside of the United States view developing nations.

I found Karim’s story very convincing and engaging. Scholarly journals have a way of removing emotion from the subject; therefore this article gives the reader a personal connection with the experience through Karim’s eyes. The goal of bringing phone service to Afghanistan was to “enhance their quality of life and well-being,” so no one would have to walk 700 miles again. But how can you bring such advanced technology to a place without any infrastructure to launch it? You build it.

I Get the “Gist”

“Gist helps you build stronger relationships by connecting the inbox to the web.” Listening to T. A. McCann, Founder and CEO of new social networking site Gist, was refreshing. His idea for this new tool comes from the realization that there’s too much information out there and lines between personal and professional are blurring. According to him we need to think about a way to organize our data in a discreet way, by thinking of relationships.

Take for example my online social persona, I have 1. a LinkedIn account, 2. Twitter, 3. Facebook, 4. Myspace, 5. A blog and more. The value of a tool like Gist is to aggregate all this information in one place so you can get a quick glimpse of someone. This helps you see a deeper view of your contacts by seeing their latest tweets, blog entry and the last email communication you had with them…all in one place.

Currently this tool is in beta and will likely offer premium services for a fee, but if you are a business person and use CRM solutions like Microsoft Dynamics CRM or Salesforce, Gist can integrate and add an additional layer of personal connection. Everyone is now becoming immersed in creating their online alias; a tool like Gist is a great step in helping people maintain relationships by saving time.

The Impact of Innovation in Developing Worlds

Africa is adopting mobile technology at a rate higher than any other country. The market is there, and so is the need to impress upon the communities how it can help them.  A recent New York Times article tells the story of a man in Uganda who uses mobile technology to help his community by being the communication hub in their small banana farming town. How is the possible? It’s made possible by innovations from organizations like the Grameen Foundation, who’s concerned with fighting poverty by opening channels for new technology. According to a World Resources Institute report, “as developing-world incomes rise, household spending on mobile phones grows faster than spending on energy, water or indeed anything else.”

The investment in this technology is obvious. As an example, a roadside merchant mentioned in the September Economist, selling ice cream and underwear was found to have increased his earning by 70% now that he had a mobile phone. The reason? He was able to communicate with suppliers, negotiate pricing and likely reach potential customers. To me this seems simple and obvious, but the merchant had grown accustomed to the rhythm of his business prior to the phone, this likely dramatically changed his life and allowed him to think about his roadside cart as a business rather than a lifeline.

Mobile technology is opening up another portal of opportunity for developing countries. As the Economist states, “adding an extra ten mobile phones per 100 people in a typical developing country boosts growth in GDP per person by 0.8 percentage points.” It is fascinating the drive people have to continually move forward, learning and using all the resources they have around them. But in contradiction to the Economist article, they quote that Africa “is the new battlefield and the new laboratory for development.” What war is trying to be won?

Thoughts on Corporate Media and Hyperlocal Journalism

On Tuesday, Tracy, the Editor at the West Seattle Blog came and talked to us about the business of hyperlocal journalism and how corporate media is trying to sink it’s teeth into it. An interesting point she made was that it took corporate media so long to screw up what they have now, it’s sad to see them stomping on hyperlocal journalism, mainly by exploiting local blogs to squeeze a few more pennies out.

With so many community blogs in Seattle, is there still room for more competition? Tracy says “yes.” One thing I often don’t consider when thinking about blogs is the breadth of blogs. Tracy said there is plenty of room for additional overlapping blogs in Seattle, especially in the youth market. I had never given much consideration to generational blogging.

Using the Seattle youth music market could be a great place to initiate a blog around a common interest. This could also be used to communicate youth activities, sports, and extracurricular activities. This could also be a podium to discuss important teen issues. Using students to create the content can provide a learning experience and create a positive online image versus the “out of control” teen Myspace pages they’ll regret in about 10 years.

According to Tracy though, this would also be the type of communication vehicle corporate media would salavate over, especially do to all the impressionable minds.

“Free” is Here to Stay

Chris Anderson’s book Free: The Future of a Radical Price, is an excellent compilation of evidence and examples persuading us to buy into the concept that Free is here to stay. But with so much technological change, we don’t need much convincing that another dramatic shift is upon us. One way Americans deal with scarcity is uncovered in the ironic determination to eradicate starvation decades ago; now today’s generation is combating obesity. This ironic relationship defines the path for his book, detailing how the future of business will make money around the notion of Free. According to Anderson this isn’t a fad, these new models like “freemium” are here to stay.

As a customer, there is a huge difference between what is free and what is cheap. Citing Dan Ariely, professor at Duke University, he highlights “zero is not just another price, it turns out, zero is an emotional hot button,” (p 63). The concept of Free is important because the majority of company’s today strive in an environment where raising demand for one thing, is gained by giving a complimentary item away for free. This is showcased in the story of Gillette razors.

The meat of Anderson’s book sits on the concept of Moore’s Law, which concludes the cost of technology is cut in half every few years and even quicker at times. With costs like this, companies are able to shift business models by focusing on making profit through programs like Google’s Adsense or thrive off the premium service subscribers from sites like Flickr or Amazon. Anderson provides a lot of evidence to back up his hypothesis with case studies from Microsoft, Craigslist and the Chinese music market, as well an easy to understand account of economics.

Mobile Technology, the Middle-man in Human Interaction

Using stereotypical examples, Ling and Donner help us understand the varying degrees in which mobile technology has and can affect our lives. No longer being tied to a location, the ability to reach a person when they are out and about changes the way we interact and live. In Schwartzman and Parikh’s paper Establishing Relationship for Designing Rural Information Systems they analyze an alternative way mobile technology is changing lives in a developing country. Mobile technology helps people join the global market, even if it’s to be on the level with their own community and social needs.

One thing not mentioned in Ling and Donner’s examples are the negative ways mobile technology can affect a changing social structure. Much is mentioned about the feeling of security and connectedness, but none on the affects of relying on a device to be the middle-man in human interaction. In the example of Alberto, the Italian businessman, he is connected 24/7 with his phone and is always in touch with work, family and friends. In result he is “mesmerized by technology” and likely unable to function without it.

Thoughts on Poverty and Mobile Technology

Ling and Donner’s perceptive of media growth in poverty stricken countries help put things into perspective. It’s hard to see the impact technology can make on a society when it’s something we take for granted. One statistic I was especially baffled by was “estimates suggest that by 2010 there will be at least 5.4 billion fixed and mobile subscriptions on the planet,” (p 7). Therefore it’s obvious to feel unconnected if you aren’t connected through technology.

An interesting contrast to this is Richard Heeks blog, which peeks at the idea that “research suggests mobiles are doing more economic harm than good, and sometimes making poor people poorer.” His post hints at cell phones being more popular that useful as people substitute time spent producing goods and other necessities to ensure they have a cell phone. In fact, Africa has the fastest cell phone growth rate in the world, (Ibrahim p 3). According to some research Heeks quotes, “48% of respondents reported that they sometimes substitute important needs (e.g. education, buying food, and clothes) for mobile phone ownership/usage.”

Anderson, Economics & the Lightbulb

Chris Anderson is so popular right now. As I read Free! Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business again I generally get what he’s trying to sell. His concept is cool, that we have “trends driving the spread of free business models across the economy.”  We’re faced with decisions because internet and technology have become second nature, but I feel this cycle of change is just a part of an ever evolving society. In Hoskin, McFadyen and Finn’s book Media Economics, they demonstrate the predictability of markets in mathematical terms, although I wonder how emotion plays into this.

In this past Tuesday’s class, I was relieved to find that other people had trouble interpreting the Media Economics book. I was also amused by people’s need to find the key to unlock the secret to some of the concepts. Talking about diminishing marginal returns made me dizzy until Kathy used the beverage analogy: the 10th gulp of a cold drink on hot day is not as refreshing as the first. For economics I do agree with some people in the class, the light bulb has to turn on, otherwise it’s just memorizing stuff and not understanding how they relate.

Learning more about media economics, even the tough stuff, will make it easier to understand the changing landscape that Anderson points out. In fact, I think it’s very important. Being able to pick apart business models that deal with little to no profit and find a way to many money is important because it proves that our current situation is sustainable and here to stay.

Bottom of the Pyramid

Pradhalad goes to great research and length to uncover the hidden gold in impoverished countries. But what he builds is not a treasure map where “x marks the spot,” rather a series of principles, examples and techniques that prove these countries have the potential to enter the global market. In my previous reflection on the Collier book I mention a need to have a local partner to help with poverty campaigns, Pradhalad says the same thing. It is important that these nations are given the tools they need to be successful, without a foreign hand conducting them. Like Collier references, education could be the root of helping countries dig out of the hole. Education helps build awareness and allows free thinking.

Pal and Patra talk about their studies in “The Case of the Occasionally Cheap Computer,” and find that perceptions of how important computers are in education are not always black and white. In America, exposing children to computers is a necessary part of education. In some countries like India, parents feel sticking to the book curriculum yields higher results; “60% of parents felt that additional teachers would be a better investment for learning, whereas 40% thought that the one-time purchase of a computer would positively impact student learning,” (p 14). Are these parents biased because they were not exposed to technology at that age?