Motivation and Consequences of Internet and Mobile Phone Usage among the Urban Poor in Kampala, Uganda

The Internet and mobile phones are rapidly diffusing throughout communities, and it is important to understand what people are actually doing with their access to these technologies. This study seeks to improve our understanding of the motivational factors and social and economic consequences of such use among the urban poor, which is examined through the Diffusion of Innovations Theory (DoI) and the Capability Approach (CA). The combined theoretical perspective was introduced to explore findings of an explorative case study conducted among the urban poor in Kampala, Uganda, where Internet access was found to be low due to high illiteracy and associated costs. On the other hand, mobile phone access was found to be high, including a high level of individual handset ownership. Mobile phone use is mostly directed towards communication with family and friends, but there is a substantial integration of mobile phones into people´s economic activities.