My family had a German student staying with us for a few months. It is fun having someone from overseas becasue we get to learn about other cultures and other countries. Something that she said was very interesting in the context of this blog - she was amazed at the South African relationship to cell phones. Everybody has one and that is just what life is like! In most of the families that she met every person , from child to Granny, owns and uses a cell phone (see Market Tree Consultancy stats). They are part of our lives.
Part of the reason for this is because cell phones are so inexpensive. Some stores offer contracts from as little as R5 per month. There are entire stores devoted to cell phones and some that only sell cell phone accessories. There is great competition between Cell C, MTN and Vodacom and this can only make things better for the consumer.
Information is power, so in a country with extremely low internet use South Africans should use their phones to gain access to the internet. It is incredibly silly that we do not use this valuable resource when we have such access to it. The potential is massive, if people can learn to use the technology available.
The internet offers work opportunities in the form of job searches and internet-based businesses. People are making money through blogging, advertising and working for other internet companies. The information available can help you study or learn a new skill. The net also allows for meeting new people, sharing ideas and communicating in entirely new and exciting ways.
Using cell phones in South Africa for internet access could really help to reduce the digital divide in this country as well as the economic and educational gap between the haves and the have-nots.
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And we are constantly upgrading those contracts, changing to phones with the latest technologies and accesories that come with it. What South Africa does need at the moment is a system of education dedicated to teaching the unlearned on how to use cellphone technology. It is and would be an even better tool if people were to make full, positive, advantage of its technology.
I fully agree with both Dael and Mandisa, people do not know the technology they have at their disposal! The trick is to try nd educate them, how is this innitiated?The problem with most South Africans is that they are simply too proud to ask for assistance where their knowledge falls short!
Another reason why cellphones are so popular is because they are a kind of status symbol, to show everyone that they can afford, not just a cellphone, but a very expensive one at that.My mother recently bought a R4000 cellphone with all sort of gadgets she does not know the first thing about!Her abilities on a cellphone include making calls, smsing and asking us to download her favourite music.My question is that my old cellphone can do all that, so why can't we swap?She would not hear of it!Because she paid good money, then it must be a very good phone,but that she will never know!!!!
I agree that cell phones connect us to the world and we also use them to talk to our friends.Cellphones keeps us updated, we can subscribe to newspapers and get latest news and information.Cellphones are also used to socialise.Thobeka Mbatha(chommies)
I have had the same experience. My family has had many exchange students staying with us and they all had the same comments to make. when I lived in America, the kids there also didn't share our obsession for cell phones, sure they had them but they did not uses them to send smses as habitually as we do, they used they phones more on a required bases. Half the time the exchange students staying with us didn't care about there cell phones; where as when I was in America I couldn't live without mine; it was my easiest connection to my loved ones at home in S.A(it took only a minute to send an sms). The exchange students however didn't seem to have this common with me they were quite fine with using the land line once every so often to contact home. Maybe that says something about the way us South Africans grow up, having traveled a lot I think that we are a lot more family orientated than most. I think that has a lot to do with why we have taken such an interest in cell phones; well I’m sure it's a big part of the reason.
My cellphone is my bestfriend. When I am broke I use it to inform my family no matter where on earth they may be. If the money comes in the bank sends me an instant message that the money has been deposited into my account. It surely is an important part of my life.
I completely agree with your closing statement Dael where you said that South Africans should use their cell phones to access the internet more often. This would really help more people get access to email and other services. Cell phones could really bridge the gap of internet connectivity.
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