This document discusses how journalists in Africa are responding to the rise of mobile technology. It outlines the evolution of mobile from Mobile 1.0 with small screens and high costs, to Mobile 2.0 with touchscreens and more transparency in pricing, to Mobile 3.0 which is cloud-based and community-driven. The document notes that connectivity in Africa remains poor compared to other regions but that mobile is transforming how journalists work by allowing them to better connect, collaborate, curate content, and attract audiences.

1. From desk(lap)top computers to tablets and
smartphones: How are journalists
responding to the mobile revolution?
A view from Africa
Harry Dugmore
April 2012

2. Number of democracies in Africa: 1991 to 2006

3. MOBILE 1.0 MOBILE 3.0MOBILE 2.0

4. ➔ Small Screens
➔ Slow Speeds
➔ Sky-high Subscriptions
(and handset prices)
MOBILE 1.0

5. MOBILE 1.0

10. ➔ Transformed transmission
➔ Touch screens
➔ Tariff transparency
MOBILE 2.0

12. Connectivity costs
in Africa are still

13. “The African Internet has the highest data
packet loss and the worst throughput figures of
any region in the world. Moreover, the
continent is about 18 years behind Europe in
terms of performance and the situation is
improving more slowly than other parts of the
world, meaning the continent’s connectivity
could be as much as 70 times worse than the
developed world in a decade.”
Roger Cottrell of the Slac National Accelerator Laboratory in US, September
2011

14. ➔ Connected platform
➔ Cloud centric
➔ Community driven
➔ Consumption device
MOBILE 3.0

15. Introduction
Context&trends

16. “The zero-rating of Facebook was the
most significant tech story in Africa in
2010…”
Erik Hersman
Intelligent Life
Spring 2011

25. Which country had the highest
YouTube viewership in Africa in
2010?

27. Mobile and Journalism:
rapidly co-evolving in Africa
NEW(ER) ROLES FOR JOURNALISTS
•CONNECTING AND COLLABORATING
•CREATING COMMUNITY
•CURATING and COHERING
•ALERTING and ATTRACTING

28. Thank you!