Thursday, February 9, 2012

Cell Phones, Sharing, and Social Status in an African Society

Due to the fact that I, like most of America, have been living with a cellphone attached to my body for so many years now, I have forgotten how dramatically cell phones changed the way we communicate. The article gave an interesting perspective on how the introduction and widespread use of cellphones changed not only the way Nigerians communicate but how their social status is perceived. The economics of owning a cellular device in Nigeria are different than in the US, instead of signing up for a monthly plan and usually getting the phone included Nigerians have to buy a phone, access service and buy "recharge cards" which are like calling cards. Nowadays in the US, you barely hear about people counting minutes, but in Nigeria having minutes to spare makes you have a higher social status.

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