"Deriving from innovative new work by six researchers, this book questions what the new media's role is in contemporary Africa. The chapters are diverse - covering different areas of sociality in different countries - but they unite in their methodological and analytical foundation. The focus is on
...
media-related practices, which require engagement with different perspectives and concerns while situating these in a wider analytical context. The contributions to this collection provide fresh ethnographic descriptions of how new media practices can affect socialities in significant but unpredictable ways." (Publisher description)
more
"En el caso de la población rural, prácticamente 70 % percibe que no tiene suficiente información, en el caso de la población urbana este porcentaje es menor a 50 %. Confrontando esta información con los medios y la disponibilidad, la explicación más razonable es que no se trata necesariament
...
e de inexistencia de información, sino más bien de los contenidos que se difunden [...] Encontramos dos grandes grupos de preocupaciones, una que tiene que ver con la enfermedad directamente con más de 50%, como es el enfermarse, no ser atendido en los centros de salud y ser hospitalizados. Otro grupo de preocupaciones son indirectas y tienen que ver con separarse de la familia, quedarse sin alimentos y no tener trabajo. Los aspectos que preocupan a las personas han sido poco abordados por los medios de comunicación y no existen políticas que den mayores certezas a la población respecto al futuro inmediato. Existen diferencias notables entre la población rural y urbana, en la primera hay una preocupación mayor por quedarse sin alimentos, en cambio en la segunda prima la preocupación por el empleo." (Página 5-6)
more
"En el área rural, se ratifica la predominancia de la radio sobre los otros medios (59% escucha siempre o casi siempre), seguido muy de cerca de la televisión (56% mira televisión) y luego los medios digitales, el Facebook (41% se conecta) es más reconocido como un medio de información que el W
...
hatsApp (36% utiliza la aplicación). En el área urbana predomina de lejos la televisión (70% siempre o casi siempre), seguida por el Facebook (60%), el WhatsApp (47%) y la Radio (33%). Un dato importante, es que los que no utilizan nunca los medios digitales en el área rural están aproximadamente entre el 33%; la radio y televisión, alrededor del 17%. En el área urbana quienes no utilizan la radio son un 20%, y la televisión, un 5%, y el promedio entre los que no utilizan Facebook ni WhatsApp es de 13% [...] Los medios por los que se informa del COVID-19, son más diversos y con características muy particulares por sector y por región. En general, la tendencia de los medios de comunicación es similar a los medios que se utilizan normalmente, aunque aquí hay una mayor predominancia de la televisión (26%), seguida por la radio (21%) y luego el Facebook (19%). Sin embargo, existen otros agentes que sumados hacen un 24%, esos son amigos / vecinos / familiares (7%), otros varios, entre ellos políticos: ONG (7%), dirigentes de organizaciones sociales (6%) y finalmente promotores de salud (4%). En algunos departamentos, estos otros medios, llegan o pasan del 20%, como es el caso de Cochabamba, Pando, Chuquisaca y el Beni. Aquí se ve más nítidamente la importancia de la radio y televisión, es creciente de acuerdo a los grupos de edad, los mayores la utilizan con mayor preferencia que los medios virtuales. Este grupo también se informa del COVID-19 en un significativo 30% por esos otros medios que se indicaron como son los amigos / vecinos / familiares, dirigentes de organizaciones sociales y finalmente promotores de salud [...] En general, la televisión es considerada el medio más confiabilidad (28%), la radio se mantiene cercana (24%), en cambio bajan los medios digitales como Facebook (15%), y WhatsApp (8%) se disputa la confiabilidad con los amigos / vecinos / familiares (7%), promotores de salud (7%), dirigentes de organizaciones sociales (6%) y finalmente las ONG (5%). Bajo ese criterio los políticos no lograron ni un punto porcentual. Existen nuevamente diferencias entre el área rural y urbana; en el área rural la confiabilidad se la lleva la radio con un 29% contra un 17% en el área urbana. En cambio, en el área urbana la televisión recibió un puntaje de confiabilidad del 33% de la población contra un 24% a la radio. El Facebook recibió una calificación de 20% en el área urbana y de 11% en el área rural." (Página 6-7)
more
"The objective of the study was to identify rural women's radio program preferences and listening behaviours. Survey was used to gather information from 200 rural women selected through multistage sampling from Sidama and Gedeo Zones. Descriptive statistic such as frequency and percentage were used
...
to present results. Moreover, association among the different variables was tested using correlation and multiple regressions. Result from Pearson Correlation analysis indicated that there exist significant but negative association between radio listening hours and variables such as number of children, habit of listening before marriage, skill to operate radio, and education level. The result of the multiple liner regression indicated that a significant regression equation was found (F5,136)=8.679, p=0.0005) with an R2 of 0.242. Education with â-.263; p=0.001, makes the largest unique contribution to explaining the dependent, and listening habit before marriage is the next strongest unique contributor with â.242; p=0.003. Based on the results, it was recommended that health and agricultural issues should be included in programming; that more local news should be presented, that more traditional music be selected, and that program for women should be aired in the morning and evening times." (Abstract)
more
"This report analyses the Chin media sector. It is based on research conducted by MDIF from late 2018 through December 2019, as well as a quantitative and qualitative survey conducted by Myanmar Survey Research (MSR) in May 2019. The report provides data on the Chin media operations themselves, as w
...
ell as the news and information needs and preferences of their actual and potential audiences in Chin State and Sagaing Region [...] What we have found is that, in many respects, Chin media face very similar problems to their counterparts elsewhere in Myanmar. They have often been set up by individuals who are deeply committed to serving the information needs of their communities, and they are often an important source of information for their audiences. We also have found that Chin media are dealing with challenges managing the digital transition that are similar to both their national and local media counterparts, and that more than half of them are also simultaneously continuing to produce print publications that remain a valuable news source for local communities. And, like local media all over the country, MDIF’s research has confirmed that Chin media are facing a major struggle to survive financially, often having to rely on local donors and personal savings as well as more traditional revenue sources such as advertising and print copy sales." (Introduction)
more
"The term “Africa Rising” is used in popular and academic discourse to describe economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa. Increased mobile phone ownership and access to the Internet figure prominently in this optimistic narrative. However, aspects of this story are being questioned, in particular w
...
hether this economic growth benefits Africa’s rural areas. In this article, we extend this critique to the optimism surrounding access to the mobile Internet by detailing rural women’s experiences with mobile devices. Drawing on data from our long-term fieldwork in Western Kenya, we describe how secondhand handsets, misinformation about social media, and gendered allocations of time constrain women’s access to the mobile Internet. We then discuss how the materiality of mobile phones, seasonal changes, and other factors must be considered when developing technological interventions in rural areas. We conclude that rural women’s lived realities merit more attention within growth narratives about Africa." (Abstract)
more
"Con el objetivo de incluir a toda la población del país en las audiencias radiales, el Grupo RPP encargó una investigación a nivel nacional rural que representa el 22% de la población, según cifras oficiales del INEI. De este modo, al juntar los resultados de la audiencia de esta investigaci
...
n con la audiencia radial a nivel urbano que se maneja en la industria publicitaria, se obtiene una audiencia integral a nivel total Perú. Para el caso se manejó una muestra panel de 1,200 personas distribuidas en 150 caseríos en 24 departamentos, respetando el peso poblacional rural de cada uno de ellos. Los caseríos fueron elegidos estrictamente al azar a partir de la base de datos de centros poblados rurales del INEI. La importancia de esta investigación es que permite estimar el gran potencial que tiene la radio al alcanzar a nivel Perú Rural el 81,5% (4’0 millones de personas de 11 a más años) en el término de una semana. El total de audiencia rural semanal representa el 18% y a nivel audiencia urbana el 82% del total nacional. Las emisoras locales en la zona rural tienen una mayor presencia respecto a las emisoras nacionales. Según emisoras, R.P.P. alcanza durante la semana al 26,6% de esta población de 11 a más años, que representa 1’3 millón de personas que escuchan esta radio, en menor medida se ubica Nueva Q con un alcance semanal de 3,8%, le sigue La Karibeña con 3,5%, Moda 2,7% y Exitosa 2,1% entre las más destacadas." (Página 1)
more
"El 83,1% de las personas de 11 a más años a nivel nacional rural escuchan radio por lo menos una vez a la semana y lo hacen principalmente a través de emisoras locales de FM y AM, alcanzando estas emisoras al 69,6% de la población rural con 12 horas en promedio de escucha semanal, este mayor al
...
cance es debido a las emisoras de centros poblados urbanos que llegan a los caseríos rurales. Las emisoras de transmisión nacional alcanzan al 38.2% de la población rural con 9 horas de escucha semanal." (Página 2)
more
"The survey indicates that radio remains the most widely accessed broadcast platform in Sierra Leone. In all, eight out of 10 (81%) Sierra Leoneans have access to radio, and 47% listen to it daily. Radio listenership is fractured, however, with no single station able to reach a national audience. Ar
...
ound 50 radio stations are currently broadcasting, with many of these having limited, local broadcast reach. This is reflected in patterns of listenership, with different stations popular in different parts of the country. Overall in the country, no station reaches more than one-third of adult Sierra Leoneans. Reaching a national audience through radio, therefore, requires working with a large number of broadcast partners. In contrast to radio access, just under half of Sierra Leoneans (45%) can access TV or DVD content and 13% can access newspapers. Access to mobile phones is high, now achieving a similar reach to radio: 83% of people report having access to a mobile phone. There is significant potential for leveraging this reach and the opportunity offered by 2G and 3G mobile phone platforms as a means of distributing media content to audiences. More than half of mobile phone owners (52%) have a basic feature phone."
more
"Having spent some time in the living rooms of 12 families across Greater Jakarta, West Java and East Nusa Tenggara, we found that audience has their own ways of consuming media and capacity to reflect on the content they are served. This capacity differs varyingly, fundamentally depending on three
...
aspects: 1) the differing degrees of access and infrastructure available around the area, 2) the knowledgeability of the person in question and 3) the societal values that tie their ways of living. Across the demographics, despite their heterogenous profile, audience has common reflections about the quality of television content. As they are aware that their identities and worldview are strongly constructed by television, their criticisms and utterance are abound but find no way of channelling to the industry. Direct means of feedback to content producers are scarce, which impedes the production of a more diverse content needed to represent the heterogeneity of audience." (Executive summary)
more
"Youth in this study treat new media and technologies as one limited component of otherwise rich lives and social experiences. While new technologies promote individualistic mobility, Indian youth of small towns and rural places still live in collective social structures that shape their orientation
...
s. New media are at the periphery of their lives, as these youth have strong interpersonal connections that are rooted in geographic proximity and active school experiences." (Abstract)
more
"This research project addressed specifically the information-seeking behaviour of small scale farming households in Kenya. It focused on how farmers are informed about innovation on new methods of increasing agricultural productivity, which is one of the main challenges for Africa's agriculture and
...
its rural population. Shortcomings in information are presumed to be one essential element that might hinder the uptake of new methods that are made available by agricultural research. For this purpose a survey with 600 small-scale farming household was conducted, investigating the information needs and patterns. The main results of the survey point to (a) the dominating role of radio as the main media channel used by almost all farmers for receiving agricultural information and much less the mobile phone that is thought by Western donors and NGOs to be the new information tool (b) the high credibility of Government extension services as the most trustworthy source regarding agricultural information although farmers bemoan the fact that extension officers are difficult to reach and less available than expected, and (c) the apparent gap between what farmers need and what they get in two respects: They mainly get technical information, for example on new varieties, planting methods or new crops, but they also want more information on markets, gaining more income and more basic knowledge. They prefer to receive information as a comprehensive package and not isolated bits. Secondly, they prefer another mode of getting information, not the usual top down approach with little explanation, but a comprehensive mode which provides them with various options accompanied by a lot of explanation. Surprisingly, many farmers say that they lack even basic knowledge of good agricultural practice." (Executive summary)
more
"As expected, the general media environment in South Sudan is highly varied, with sharp distinctions between the capital city of Juba and the rest of the country, which is largely rural. A key difference here involves language use and understanding, with rural areas dominated by local/tribal languag
...
es while the vast majority of people who can speak and understand Classical/Simple Arabic and/or English live in Juba. The rural-urban divide in South Sudan is crosscut further by significant differences with respect to age and gender; males and younger generations are much more likely to speak Arabic and/or English while also having greater levels of education and literacy. Radio remains the most accessible source of information for the vast majority of people in South Sudan, though once again males and younger generations have greater access to radio as well as to other technology-based sources of information. Computers and televisions remain largely insignificant to South Sudanese; nearly half of all respondents did not have immediate access to media devices or technologies of any kind. Despite the popularity of radio as an information source, just over half of South Sudanese are non-listeners, largely because they do not own or have access to a radio. Since lack of access/ownership applies to an even greater extent with respect to other technological devices (i.e., mobile phone, television, or computer/Internet), many people get their information by relying solely on their personal social networks and via face-to-face communication." (Pages vi-vii)
more
"The data highlight statistically significant variations in information access, use and preferences among key demographic segments - notably, between rural and urban respondents, men and women, people with varying levels of education and those living in different regions of the country - all of whic
...
h are analyzed in this report. Furthermore, the survey shows that detailed baseline research on media use, ICT use, and communication habits and preferences can be applied directly to development work, which is illustrated in the report by a few hypothetical case studies." (Report summary, page 4)
more
"BBC listenership in Afghanistan remains strong and the station has retained a strong brand presence. BBC radio is among the most listened to stations in Afghanistan. Over half (57%) of adults had listened within the past week at the time of the survey in January 2008. 75% of the population claimed
...
to have heard it at some point. Eighty-nine percent of Afghans who have ever used BBC radio or TV indicated they will continue to use the BBC in the future and over three-quarters (76%) say they will recommend the BBC to others. BBC Afghanistan is the service most people still turn to for news and it is the most trusted source of news on TV or radio. Ninety-percent of BBC listeners feel they can trust the information provided by the BBC. People respect the service for being relevant, unbiased and educational [...] Afghans have a strong desire for news and information. The vast majority of Afghans (92%) think it is important to stay informed about current events in Afghanistan. The internal situation remains fluid, and this is a country going through a tumultuous social, economic, and political transformation. Afghans are also keen to stay informed about daily security threats to hear about the continuing struggle between the Afghan government and the anti-government elements, in particular the Taliban, for control over the future of the country." (Executive summary, pages 4-5)
more
"Cable and satellite television have spread rapidly throughout the developing world. These media sources expose viewers to new information about the outside world and other ways of life, which may a ect attitudes and behaviors. This paper explores the effect of the introduction of cable television o
...
n women's status in rural India. Using a three-year, individual-level panel dataset, we found that the introduction of cable television is associated with significant decreases in the reported acceptability of domestic violence towards women and son preference, as well as increases in women's autonomy and decreases in fertility. We also found suggestive evidence that exposure to cable increases school enrollment for younger children, perhaps through increased participation of women in household decision-making. We argue that the results are not driven by pre-existing differential trends." (Abstract)
more
"Wie verändert sich ein Dorf durch Prozesse der Technisierung und Industrialisierung, insbesondere aber durch die Verbreitung technischer Medien, vom Telefon über Hörfunk und Fernsehen bis hin zum Computer? Welche Folgen zeitigt dieser Prozeß vor allem für die Häufigkeit und die Qualität/den
...
Charakter der nicht-medialen, zwischenmenschlichen Kommunikation unter den Dorfbewohnern? Mit der Dissertation von Thomas Muntschick liegt erstmals eine Untersuchung vor, die am Beispiel einer kleinen ländlichen Gemeinde den Weg der Technik in den Alltag der Menschen nachzeichnet. Er untersucht den Prozeß des Wandels menschlicher Kommunikation durch technische Medien und zentriert seinen Blick dabei auf das subjektive Erleben der Bewohner des Dorfes Polle an der Oberweser." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
more