Assessing Cell Phone Usage in a South African Township School Tino Kreutzer University of Cape Town

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Assessing Cell Phone Usage in a South African
Township School Tino KreutzerUniversity of
Cape Town
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The rise of the cell phone the demise of the
computer?

• 300 million active connections in Africa, up to
  70 usage in South Africa
• Extreme growth among black population in SA,
  computer ownership remains low
• Advantages over traditional computers
• Low infrastructure costs
• Mobile
• Prepaid
• No reliable data on cell phone usage in SA

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The South African case

• Millions of MXit users (mobile instant
  messaging) growing societal concern
• Strong inequalities among between social and
  racial groups
• Cell phone use among 16-19-year-olds

Source AMPS 2007
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The South African case

• Extreme inequalities among racial groups for
  Internet usage according to household surveys
• Unreliable data?
• Internet used among 16-19-year-olds

Source AMPS 2007
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Rationale for study

• Pilot quantitative approach and specific
  questionnaire design in an urban extreme case
  high school
• Use experiences gained for a larger study
  focusing on cell phone Internet usage among South
  African youth

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Research Questions

• What are the current cell phone usage and
  ownership patterns among youth at a South African
  township school?
• What is the potential for using cell phones in
  education at this school?

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Methodology

• 1 secondary school in Samora Machel
• 2 grade 11 classes
• 66 students
• 32 questions paper/pencil questionnaires
  administered by researcher
• 203 variables
• Closed-ended, open ended, Likert scales questions
• Aggregates calculated from several variables

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Demographics

• 100 isiXhosa
• Average age 17.9
• 80 planning to pursue further education
• 95 walk to school

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Cell phone ownership

• 100 use, but only 75 own a cell phone
• Non-owners used better handsets
• Wide range from very basic (e.g. Nokia 1100) to
  very advanced phones (e.g. Motorola Razr)

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Cell phone features
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Cell phone features (detailed)
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Cell phone features

• Important features(selection)
• Advanced applications are very important

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Usage macro factors

• 86 use MTN network
• Natl average black 16-19 45
• 96 prepaid
• Natl average black 19 99
• Weekly expenditure R30 ( 4)
• High compared to national averages of racial
  groups in the same age bracket (next slide)
• AMPS (2007)

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Usage macro factors

• Stronger male financial independence?
• But Girls were found to spend slightly more than
  boys
• Findings show many statistically significant
  differences between genders but qualitative
  follow-up research necessary

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Usage micro factors

• Four major categories of using cell phones
• Personal/traditional communication
• Entertainment
• Mobile instant messaging
• Internet
• Usage determined by cell phone, but often more
  than one phone is available

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Personal communication

• Boys more frequent users of text messages and
  phone calls
• Girls more frequent in sending free please call
  me messages or giving missed calls

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Entertainment

• Playing games is extremely popular, especially
  among girls
• Picture taking most popular among boys

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Mobile instant messaging (MIM)

• MIM is a cheap alternative to traditional cell
  phone communication and half of all respondents
  use it on a typical day
• MXit most popular MIM client, but closely
  followed by MTNs noknok
• Strong male dominance

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Mobile instant messaging (contd)

• High male retention rate most boys who have used
  MIM once are still using it on a typical day
• 45 of respondents use MIM for less than 30
  minutes per day

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Internet and Web usage

• 97 have used Internet from a cell phone (via
  GPRS/WAP/MIM/etc)
• 83 use the Internet on a typical day
• Heavy usage of Web (47 on a typical day)
• Follow-up research will determine more detailed
  usage patterns of exact websites etc
• For subcategories see next slide

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Internet and Web usage
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Outlook

• Quantitative data in U.S. (Pew Research) shows
  that minorities are more likely to use cell
  phones to go online similar patterns emerging
  in SA?
• Follow-up study (August/September 2008) will use
  larger sample for quantitative research but also
  qualitative interviews and participant log books
  to track detailed Web usage

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Contact
tino.kreutzer _at_ gmail.com