Prof. Dr. Martin Emmer Johanna Hartung Freie Universität Berlin Institute for Media and Communication Studies Determinants of Mobile Phone Use in West Africa: Findings from an Empirical Study in The Gambia

2/13 Structure 1.Introduction 2.Research questions 3.Theoretical background 4.Methodology 5.Description of data 6.Results 7.Conclusion 7th CMI Conference,

3/13 Introduction  Lack of knowledge about details of usage  Lack of understanding and explanations of use patterns 7th CMI Conference, Boom of mobile communication Lack of empirical data Illustration based on D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx Mobile-cellular telephone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

4/13 Research questions  How do Gambians use their mobile phones?  What patterns of mobile phone use are emerging?  How can single use patterns be explained by the influence of functional expectations, restrictions and norms? 7th CMI Conference,

5/13 Theoretical background  Innovation diffusion theory (Rogers 2003)  Media appropriaton (Silverstone and Haddon 1996)  Uses and gratifications (Rubens 2002)  Mobile Phone Appropriation Model (Wirth et al. 2008) Dimensions of mobile phone use:  Object-related aspects of use: Frequency in which services such as voice communication or short messaging are used  Symbolic uses: Mobile as an aesthetic object with ringtones, fashion accessories 7th CMI Conference,

6/13 Theoretical background Professional functions External restrictions Subjective norms Demographic variables Modes of appropriation Mobile use patterns 7th CMI Conference, Daily social functions Internal restrictions Individual-hedonistic functions

7/13 Methodology  Data collection in the Gambia from 25th Aug to 2nd Sept 2014  Standardized survey with face-to-face interviews  Two research sites: Kanifing (urban) and Pakalinding (rural)  Quota sampling based on age and sex  Interviews in local languages  Use of four-point scales, e.g. 7th CMI Conference, To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements? Strongly disagree disagreeagree Strongly agree Using a mobile phone makes my life easier. □□□□

8/13 Description of sample SamplePopulationSource Total1961,882,450The Gambia Bureau of Statistics (2013) Quota targets Locality Urban51.5 %57.8 % The Gambia Bureau of Statistics (2013) Rural48.5 %42.2 % Gender Female48.0 %50.6 % The Gambia Bureau of Statistics (2013) Male52.0 %49.4 % Age structure years32.8 %34.3 % Central Intelligence Agency (2014) years52.6 %53.8 % 55 years and over14.6 %11.9 % Other population characteristics Literacy Easily61.0 %52.0 % United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (2012) With difficulty14.9 %/// Not at all24.1 %48.0 % Mobile phone International Telecommunications Union (2013) Owners88.8 %/// Subscribers///100.0 % 7th CMI Conference,

9/13 Descriptive data  88.8 % own a mobile phone, mainly in urban areas and among literates  On average, respondents hold 1.8 SIM cards; the median number are 2 SIM cards  2.2 % use a postpaid billing method in addition to a prepaid phone use  Between 25 and 550 Dalasis are spent for mobile phone use per week; 40 % of the respondents spend more than 100 Dalasis (approx Euros)  38.5 % share their mobile phone with other people, particularly in rural areas and among females 7th CMI Conference,

10/13 Frequencies of Factor 1: Multimedia use Factor 2: Calling Factor 3: Beeping & playing sending messages.85 receiving messages.84 internet usage.71 taking photos or videos.66 listening to music.56 calling.89 receiving calls.89 beeping/flashing.81 receiving beeps/flashes playing games Principal Component Analysis with Varimax-Rotation; Kaiser criterion; Eigenvalue > 1; 63.2 % variance explained; Factor loadings >.35 Patterns of mobile phone usage 7th CMI Conference,

11/13 Explanatory model: Use patterns Model 1: Multimedia use Model 2 Calling patterns Demographic variables Locality (rural) Gender (female) * Age ***.051 Technical variables Sharing the mobile phone * Number of SIM cards Money spent *** Functions, restrictions, norms Daily social functions *** Professional functions ** External restrictions Internal restrictions -.220*** Norms Adj. R *p <.10; ** p <.05; *** p <.01 7th CMI Conference,

12/13 Conclusion  3 different use patterns were found: Multimedia use, Calling, Beeping & playing  The calling pattern can be explained mainly by gender, the amount of money spent on mobile phone use as well as the experience of daily social and professional functions  The multimedia pattern can be explained by age and internal restrictions  Limitations of the study relate to the sample size and sampling method and the adaption of the theoretical model to the Gambian context  Further research is necessary regarding the operationalizations of the variables and the examination of usage contexts 7th CMI Conference,

13/13 Conclusion  Do more research  to enquire about usage patterns and explanations of usage  to synchronize research between African countries  Recommendations:  Policies towards the inclusion of females and illiterates  Business models for professional and social uses of mobile phones 7th CMI Conference,

Johanna Hartung Prof. Dr. Martin Emmer Thank you for your attention.