Title:
Uses of Mobile Phones in Post-Conflict Liberia
Uses of Mobile Phones in Post-Conflict Liberia
| dc.contributor.author | Best, Michael L. | en_US |
| dc.contributor.author | Smyth, Thomas N. | en_US |
| dc.contributor.author | Etherton, John | en_US |
| dc.contributor.author | Wornyo, Edem | en_US |
| dc.contributor.corporatename | Georgia Institute of Technology. School of International Affairs | en_US |
| dc.contributor.corporatename | Georgia Institute of Technology. School of Interactive Computing | en_US |
| dc.contributor.corporatename | IBM Microelectronics. Systems and Technology Group | en_US |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2013-07-24T14:45:18Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2013-07-24T14:45:18Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2010 | |
| dc.description | © 2010 USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism. Published under Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. All rights not granted thereunder to the public are reserved to the publisher and may not be exercised without its express written permission. | en_US |
| dc.description.abstract | Liberia is a country emerging from years of protracted and devastating civil conflict. Left without any fixed-line telephone infrastructure, it relies solely on the mobile phone for telephony. This study investigates the usage of mobile phones in this immediate post-conflict setting. In particular, we adopt the uses and gratifications approach to media research, giving focus to both instrumental and intrinsic motivations for use. We surveyed 85 mobile phone users in both the capital city of Monrovia and various rural areas, as well as interviewing experts from two major service providers and the industry regulator. Users were interviewed using the Q methodology, which identified distinct perspectives within these urban and rural groups. These identified perspectives included sets of users who saw their phones as productivity enhancers, means of connectivity to family and friends, essential business tools, technological curiosities, and sources of personal security. The idea of a phone as a stylish object was markedly rejected, especially in rural areas. Expert interviews confirmed and supplemented these findings. We contrast these results from Liberia with previous work from Kigali, Rwanda, finding differences especially as related to security. | en_US |
| dc.embargo.terms | null | en_US |
| dc.identifier.citation | Best, M. L., Etherton, J., Smyth, T., & Wornyo, E. (2010). Uses of Mobile Phones in Post-Conflict Liberia. Information Technologies and International Development, 6(2). | en_US |
| dc.identifier.issn | 1544-7529 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1853/48541 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_US | en_US |
| dc.publisher | Georgia Institute of Technology | en_US |
| dc.publisher.original | University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism | en_US |
| dc.subject | Mobile phones | en_US |
| dc.subject | Liberia | en_US |
| dc.subject | Post-conflict | en_US |
| dc.subject | Rwanda | en_US |
| dc.subject | Mobile tools | en_US |
| dc.title | Uses of Mobile Phones in Post-Conflict Liberia | en_US |
| dc.type | Text | |
| dc.type.genre | Article | |
| dspace.entity.type | Publication | |
| local.contributor.author | Best, Michael L. | |
| local.contributor.corporatename | College of Computing | |
| local.contributor.corporatename | School of Interactive Computing | |
| local.contributor.corporatename | Sam Nunn School of International Affairs | |
| local.contributor.corporatename | Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts | |
| relation.isAuthorOfPublication | 3b21b805-fd87-4643-ae58-1ce94ece2d83 | |
| relation.isOrgUnitOfPublication | c8892b3c-8db6-4b7b-a33a-1b67f7db2021 | |
| relation.isOrgUnitOfPublication | aac3f010-e629-4d08-8276-81143eeaf5cc | |
| relation.isOrgUnitOfPublication | 2e513ee5-3735-41d6-94e0-7df2c5325e35 | |
| relation.isOrgUnitOfPublication | b1049ff1-5166-442c-9e14-ad804b064e38 |