• GFMD Collects Tools for Media Development
• Independent Media in Russia Needs Support from Civil Society says GFMD
• GFMD Tests Media Landscape Toolkit in Ghana
• Future of Journalism Conference Debates Effects on Media Development
• GFMD Asia Promotes Cooperation in Media Development

Tech Corner: Amy Webb on Mobile Trends

13.04.09

While the traditional Web is popular and certainly growing, the simple fact remains that many people either do not have access to computers or they live in communities that lack the infrastructure to support regular PC use.

Consider some recent data:
• India has an estimated 30 million PC users, but more than 300 million active mobile subscribers.
• 400+ million Africans use mobile phones, and in some areas the adoption rate is as high as 85% to 90%.
• The Democratic Republic of Congo has a population of 60 million people but fewer than 10,000 landlines.
• One in every four residents of Thailand and Mexico owns a mobile phone.
• More than 85% of Korean children, at age 12, own and use mobile phones. [1]
Many media development organizations – tasked with grant distribution, trainings and conferences – limit their focus to content for Web sites. Rarely do they highlight mobile phones as ways to disseminate information, aid in the reporting process or even contribute to social networks.

While I always suggest that all media organizations should produce content not just for the Web but also for mobile phones, I never prescribe a general formula for creating that content.  I can’t recommend a certain kind of mobile site or even the kind of information that should be sent. That’s because the success of mobile content depends entirely on the community being served. When you are developing programs, keep in mind how the journalists you train can best serve their audiences.

For example, Indians are more likely to use their mobile phones to send and receive SMS (also called “text”) messages than to surf the Web. In parts of Africa, mobile phones are used to receive bills and send payments, and to receive incoming calls with announcements and news. In Japan, Korea and parts of Europe, the mobile phone has proven a useful and trustworthy stand-in for laptop computers. Users browse full-size Web pages, shop for clothing, download videos and even watch over-the-air high definition broadcast signal television.

Media development organizations – whether offering training, facilitating grants, or providing advocacy – need to consider how much focus to put on the Web and how much on mobile technology. To do that, they should ask both working media and journalism educators to answer the following questions before approaching them with a proposal:

1. In news gathering, what is the likely Internet service provider (ISP) for most reporters/ editors/producers?
2. What kind of computer access does the community to be served have? Are users on newer computers with fast Internet access?
3. Based on the answers to the first and second questions, are media using the right technology to reach their core audiences? For example, are they producing videos, when most of the people viewing the Web site have access only to dial-up Internet?
4. Does the community use mobile phones? What are the primary mobile carriers? What is the cost of their data plans? Do people mostly use text messaging, or do they use the mobile Web? What is the average person likely to do with his/her mobile phone?
5. Taking all that into account, is the content – indeed, canit be – delivered in a way that’s most likely to reach the primary audience? If not, what steps should be taken to deliver content in a format that is most appropriate for a community?

One fast (and free) way – for both media development organizations and the groups they serve – to start answering these questions is to visit a local retailer. They can ask the shopkeeper to explain the various vendors, data plans and handset models that are available for a given primary audience. They can get some perspective on how the local community is using mobile on a daily basis. 

The list will help formulate a strategic mobile plan, which is something every media organization (that includes schools/ institutes that teach journalism!) should have thought through. Before GFMD members spend more resources on a Web site, they need to consider whether a community will really benefit, or if it’s time to make the content mobile.

[1] Report by NTT DOCOMO, Inc. Mobile Society Research Institute; February 10, 2009.

Amy Webb is a digital media consultant and head of Webbmedia Group, LLC, where she adapts current and emerging technologies to solve problems in mainstream journalism/journalism education. You can also follow Amy on Twitter, LinkedIn and delicious. Webbmedia Group, based in Baltimore, Maryland, is a vendor-neutral company. Any opinions expressed about products or services are formed after testing, research and interviews. Neither Amy Webb nor Webbmedia Group (or any employee) receives any financial or other benefits from vendors.

Please submit any questions for Amy to assistant (at) gfmd (dot) org.