Mobile phones and wrong numbers: how Maasai agro-pastoralists form and use accidental social ties in East Africa

Mobile phones are recognized as important new tools for rural development in the Global South, but few studies have examined how phones can shape social networks. This study documents a new type of social tie, enabled by mobile phones, that to our knowledge has not previously been discussed in acade...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales:	Timothy D. Baird, J. Terrence McCabe, Emily Woodhouse, Isaya Rumas, Stephen Sankeni, Gabriel Ole. Saitoti
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Resilience Alliance 2021
Materias:	east africa maasai mobile phones pastoralism path dependency social networks social ties Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Ecology QH540-549.5
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/c35e031d1b084a05a5776c071e155a7d
Etiquetas:	Agregar Etiqueta Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!

id	oai:doaj.org-article:c35e031d1b084a05a5776c071e155a7d
record_format	dspace
spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:c35e031d1b084a05a5776c071e155a7d2021-11-15T16:40:18ZMobile phones and wrong numbers: how Maasai agro-pastoralists form and use accidental social ties in East Africa1708-308710.5751/ES-12528-260241https://doaj.org/article/c35e031d1b084a05a5776c071e155a7d2021-06-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol26/iss2/art41/https://doaj.org/toc/1708-3087Mobile phones are recognized as important new tools for rural development in the Global South, but few studies have examined how phones can shape social networks. This study documents a new type of social tie, enabled by mobile phones, that to our knowledge has not previously been discussed in academic literature. In 2018, we discovered that Maasai pastoralists in northern Tanzania create new social ties through wrong numbers, a phenomenon with implications for theory on social networks and path dependency. We used a mixed ethnographic and survey-based design to examine the following: (1) the conditions under which wrong number connections (WNCs) are made; (2) the incidence of these connections in the study area; and (3) the association between WNCs and multiple livelihood strategies. Working in 10 rural communities in Tanzania, we conducted 16 group interviews with men about their phone use and found that WNCs are diverse and can provide households with important information, resources, and opportunities from an expansive geographic area. (Nine separate interviews with groups of women revealed that women do not create WNCs.) Based on early qualitative findings, we designed and conducted a standardized survey with 317 household heads. We found that 46% of respondents have had WNCs. Furthermore, multivariate regression models show a significant association between WNCs and the controversial practice of leasing land in one district. Taken together, our findings show that WNCs can be seen as innovations in social networking that reduce path dependency, increase the range of potential outcomes, and hold important implications for rural livelihoods in East Africa.Timothy D. BairdJ. Terrence McCabeEmily WoodhouseIsaya RumasStephen SankeniGabriel Ole. SaitotiResilience Alliancearticleeast africamaasaimobile phonespastoralismpath dependencysocial networkssocial tiesBiology (General)QH301-705.5EcologyQH540-549.5ENEcology and Society, Vol 26, Iss 2, p 41 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	east africa maasai mobile phones pastoralism path dependency social networks social ties Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Ecology QH540-549.5
spellingShingle	east africa maasai mobile phones pastoralism path dependency social networks social ties Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Ecology QH540-549.5 Timothy D. Baird J. Terrence McCabe Emily Woodhouse Isaya Rumas Stephen Sankeni Gabriel Ole. Saitoti Mobile phones and wrong numbers: how Maasai agro-pastoralists form and use accidental social ties in East Africa
description	Mobile phones are recognized as important new tools for rural development in the Global South, but few studies have examined how phones can shape social networks. This study documents a new type of social tie, enabled by mobile phones, that to our knowledge has not previously been discussed in academic literature. In 2018, we discovered that Maasai pastoralists in northern Tanzania create new social ties through wrong numbers, a phenomenon with implications for theory on social networks and path dependency. We used a mixed ethnographic and survey-based design to examine the following: (1) the conditions under which wrong number connections (WNCs) are made; (2) the incidence of these connections in the study area; and (3) the association between WNCs and multiple livelihood strategies. Working in 10 rural communities in Tanzania, we conducted 16 group interviews with men about their phone use and found that WNCs are diverse and can provide households with important information, resources, and opportunities from an expansive geographic area. (Nine separate interviews with groups of women revealed that women do not create WNCs.) Based on early qualitative findings, we designed and conducted a standardized survey with 317 household heads. We found that 46% of respondents have had WNCs. Furthermore, multivariate regression models show a significant association between WNCs and the controversial practice of leasing land in one district. Taken together, our findings show that WNCs can be seen as innovations in social networking that reduce path dependency, increase the range of potential outcomes, and hold important implications for rural livelihoods in East Africa.
format	article
author	Timothy D. Baird J. Terrence McCabe Emily Woodhouse Isaya Rumas Stephen Sankeni Gabriel Ole. Saitoti
author_facet	Timothy D. Baird J. Terrence McCabe Emily Woodhouse Isaya Rumas Stephen Sankeni Gabriel Ole. Saitoti
author_sort	Timothy D. Baird
title	Mobile phones and wrong numbers: how Maasai agro-pastoralists form and use accidental social ties in East Africa
title_short	Mobile phones and wrong numbers: how Maasai agro-pastoralists form and use accidental social ties in East Africa
title_full	Mobile phones and wrong numbers: how Maasai agro-pastoralists form and use accidental social ties in East Africa
title_fullStr	Mobile phones and wrong numbers: how Maasai agro-pastoralists form and use accidental social ties in East Africa
title_full_unstemmed	Mobile phones and wrong numbers: how Maasai agro-pastoralists form and use accidental social ties in East Africa
title_sort	mobile phones and wrong numbers: how maasai agro-pastoralists form and use accidental social ties in east africa
publisher	Resilience Alliance
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/c35e031d1b084a05a5776c071e155a7d
work_keys_str_mv	AT timothydbaird mobilephonesandwrongnumbershowmaasaiagropastoralistsformanduseaccidentalsocialtiesineastafrica AT jterrencemccabe mobilephonesandwrongnumbershowmaasaiagropastoralistsformanduseaccidentalsocialtiesineastafrica AT emilywoodhouse mobilephonesandwrongnumbershowmaasaiagropastoralistsformanduseaccidentalsocialtiesineastafrica AT isayarumas mobilephonesandwrongnumbershowmaasaiagropastoralistsformanduseaccidentalsocialtiesineastafrica AT stephensankeni mobilephonesandwrongnumbershowmaasaiagropastoralistsformanduseaccidentalsocialtiesineastafrica AT gabrielolesaitoti mobilephonesandwrongnumbershowmaasaiagropastoralistsformanduseaccidentalsocialtiesineastafrica
_version_	1718426929881677824

Mobile phones and wrong numbers: how Maasai agro-pastoralists form and use accidental social ties in East Africa

Ejemplares similares