The smartphone as object

Before considering the use of the smartphone for communication, we need to acknowledge its presence as a material object. Its tangibility may matter more to some populations than others, as you can see in the short film above.

What this film shows is that the smartphone is an object that is seen by others and can be used by an individual in a similar manner as clothing and accessories, to express a sense of style or the values that matter to us. We also encounter the smartphone as something that incurs costs which could range from a monthly plan to the cost of the handset, or the cost of recharging or of usage (called airtime in Cameroon and Uganda).

The materiality of the smartphone also becomes apparent when one has a disability. In the video above, Laila, who is one of our researchers, reflects on her relationship to her iPhone and the Accessibility issues that she experiences as a blind person.