Use of Mobile Devices to interact on social media: University of - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Use of Mobile Devices to interact

• n social media: University of Oslo
• vs. University of Malawi

Lamisi Gurah Blackman Tiwonge Davis Manda

Social Mobile INF5261: Spring 2011

Study Focus

• use of social media by university students

– social media solutions in use – device choices – market contexts – Mobile devices Vs. Desktop access to social media

Social Media INF5261: Spring 2011

Study Context

• Norway

– Mature mobile telephony market – Developed economy – Population: 4.8 million people

• Malawi

– Emerging mobile telephony market – Developing economy – Population: 13.1 million people

Social Mobile INF5261: Spring 2011

Study Context

• University of Oslo

– founded in 1811 – Norway’s largest university.

• University of Malawi

– Founded in 1964 – Malawi’s largest university – Has 5 constituent colleges spread across 2 cities.

Social Mobile INF5261: Spring 2011

ICT Trends

Trends in fixed-line and mobile cellular subscriptions and Internet use in Malawi (Data source -(ITU 2011)) Trends in fixed-line and mobile cellular subscriptions and Internet use in Norway (Data source -(ITU 2011)) Social Mobile INF5261: Spring 2011

Methodology

• Questionnaire with closed & open ended

questions

– Collected quantitative and qualitative data

• Literature review
• Personal experience

Social Mobile INF5261: Spring 2011

Limitations

• Lower number of respondents:

– Reduced scope of generalization

• Quite hard to initially reach out to

respondents in Malawi

– Two main university campuses were shut down just before we started collecting data

Social Mobile INF5261: Spring 2011

Theoretical Framework of Interest

An Integrated framework for the use and adoption of mobile handheld devices (Source:(Sarker and Wells 2003))

Social Mobile INF5261: Spring 2011

Social Media

“a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of User Generated Content” (Kaplan and Haenlein 2010: pp 61).

Social Mobile INF5261: Spring 2011

FINDINGS & DISCUSSION

Social Mobile INF5261: Spring 2011

Social Media Solutions in Use

– the following social media solutions are being used:

• Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, among others

– Most respondents use more than 1 solution – Facebook is the most popular solution

Social Mobile INF5261: Spring 2011

Frequency of Access

• Patterns of Access

– 21 people (81% ) - “everyday, several times a day” – 2 people (8%) - “everyday, once a day” – 1 person (4%) - “2-3 times per week” – 1 person (4%) - “once a week” – 1 person (4%) - “once a month

Social Mobile INF5261: Spring 2011

Duration of Daily Access

• Quite varied

Social Mobile INF5261: Spring 2011

Market Context

• Most respondents use pre-paid subscriptions
• Devices Acquisition Plans:

– Norway: Contract & Cash – Malawi: Cash

• Most Norwegian respondents have higher end

phones compared to the Malawian respondents

– We feel device acquisition prices influence this

• Norwegian respondents mostly content with

their devices than Malawian counterparts

Social Mobile INF5261: Spring 2011

Mobile Devices Vs. Desktops

• Varied experiences

Social Mobile INF5261: Spring 2011

Paradoxes of Mobile device use

• They (Dis)Connect people:

– Bridge time and space to allow increased collaboration, negatively impact relations with people who are physically present – Increased mobility, but somewhat reduced interactivity due to small screen sizes – Allow use of context sensitive services, but the quality and availability of service varies

Social Mobile INF5261: Spring 2011

User Experiences

• “using mobile devices makes people ant -

social for example see most people or friends using these sites (facebook, twitter and mixt) for example while physically(charting, parting etc) on a group of friends i feel it is stealing much of the quality time that people need to have when in a conversation or doing things

• together. - A Respondent from Norway

Social Mobile INF5261: Spring 2011

User Experiences

• “mobile devices are so easy to use no need for

training can also be used when one is walking

• r charting with friends but the screen size can

lead to eye problem. Laptops & PC are so cool to use, the screen size its wow but its not a benefit to some one who doesn’t know a computer.” - Respondent from Malawi

Social Mobile INF5261: Spring 2011

User Experiences

• “Its convenient, u can access the internet

anywhere as long as there’s a network..one challenge is charging the battery frequently” – Respondent from Malawi

Social Mobile INF5261: Spring 2011

User Experiences

• "Benefits : Easy access, Always updated, ...

Challenges : Small screen, lack of a full keyboard(touch keyboards are not the best), mass of information flowing to the brain, ..." – Respondent from Norway

Social Mobile INF5261: Spring 2011

References

• Sarker, S. and J. D. Wells (2003). "Understanding mobile handheld device

use and adoption." Commun. ACM 46(12): 35-40.

• ITU (2011). World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database: Key 2000-

2009 Country Data International Telecommunications Union.

• Kaplan, A. M. and M. Haenlein (2010). "Users of the world, unite! The

challenges and opportunities of Social Media." Business Horizons 53(1): 59-68.

Social Mobile INF5261: Spring 2011

The End

Thank you

Social Mobile INF5261: Spring 2011