The expansion of mobile telephony around the world has revolutionized communication possibly more than any other invention of the 20th and 21st centuries. People on the move are able to instantly communicate with each other and business or personal affairs can now be carried out on the fly. The development of smartphones has taken this one step further by allowing mass communication via the internet and social networking and people are now able to share their entire lives over the East African social network at the press of a button.
Most surprisingly however is the use of this networking to affect change. Most notably in certain parts of Africa such as Libya and Egypt in which social networks were used to disseminate information and inspired normal citizens to rise up against their unjust and autocratic leadership. This is of course an extreme case but serves to highlight the potential such networking can wield when used correctly.
Today in Africa there exist ten times as many mobile phones as there are landlines and sixty percent of the population has access to a mobile telephone. By the end of 2010 it was estimated that African users make up sixteen percent of the total number of worldwide Facebook users. However the largest social network in Africa is the South African based MXit which holds a massive 27 million users across the continent.
The control of information has long been a tool of dictatorship used frequently across the continent. Such travesties as the Rwandan genocide were a result of the careful dissemination of information that swayed public opinion towards a bitter and tragic end. It is important that information control on this scale is never allowed to happen again.
Looking for where to go and what to do in your city? Then visit the site's events page. Here users can view what is going on near them or even share their own events for others to see. This is the perfect medium for the casual onlooker searching for something to do on the weekend or even for business operators who want to advertise and gain support for their event.
Just some of the problems facing the spread of connectivity throughout the continent could seem insurmountable. These include low levels of computer literacy. The high cost of infrastructure or lack thereof and the often poor supply of electrical power also factor in.
The connections fostered with the rest of the world do not only provide for the export of goods but also allow for further investment into the continent. China has taken massive strides into investment by upgrading many of the continents transport infrastructure in exchange for a share of the massive natural resources that are available. This is important in a continent in which weak internal infrastructure is often a barrier to success.
Although Africa's internet infrastructure is still far from perfect it is encouraging to know that steps have been taken in the last few years to help the situation. Citizens are now able to share information with each other and the world like never before and the East African social network has made this feat even easier for the man on the street. Hopefully in time the internet will come to shine a little light on the Dark Continent.
Most surprisingly however is the use of this networking to affect change. Most notably in certain parts of Africa such as Libya and Egypt in which social networks were used to disseminate information and inspired normal citizens to rise up against their unjust and autocratic leadership. This is of course an extreme case but serves to highlight the potential such networking can wield when used correctly.
Today in Africa there exist ten times as many mobile phones as there are landlines and sixty percent of the population has access to a mobile telephone. By the end of 2010 it was estimated that African users make up sixteen percent of the total number of worldwide Facebook users. However the largest social network in Africa is the South African based MXit which holds a massive 27 million users across the continent.
The control of information has long been a tool of dictatorship used frequently across the continent. Such travesties as the Rwandan genocide were a result of the careful dissemination of information that swayed public opinion towards a bitter and tragic end. It is important that information control on this scale is never allowed to happen again.
Looking for where to go and what to do in your city? Then visit the site's events page. Here users can view what is going on near them or even share their own events for others to see. This is the perfect medium for the casual onlooker searching for something to do on the weekend or even for business operators who want to advertise and gain support for their event.
Just some of the problems facing the spread of connectivity throughout the continent could seem insurmountable. These include low levels of computer literacy. The high cost of infrastructure or lack thereof and the often poor supply of electrical power also factor in.
The connections fostered with the rest of the world do not only provide for the export of goods but also allow for further investment into the continent. China has taken massive strides into investment by upgrading many of the continents transport infrastructure in exchange for a share of the massive natural resources that are available. This is important in a continent in which weak internal infrastructure is often a barrier to success.
Although Africa's internet infrastructure is still far from perfect it is encouraging to know that steps have been taken in the last few years to help the situation. Citizens are now able to share information with each other and the world like never before and the East African social network has made this feat even easier for the man on the street. Hopefully in time the internet will come to shine a little light on the Dark Continent.
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