We can use cell phones for social change:
Mobile phones are revolutionizing international development and social change. ...
Already, governments, non-profits, businesses, and everyday citizens are leveraging vast mobile phone networks in many countries to promote social development in innovative ways. Perhaps most important, these mobile networks have the potential to reach marginalized populations, especially in rural areas, and to provide them with transformative new opportunities.
Already, governments, non-profits, businesses, and everyday citizens are leveraging vast mobile phone networks in many countries to promote social development in innovative ways. Perhaps most important, these mobile networks have the potential to reach marginalized populations, especially in rural areas, and to provide them with transformative new opportunities.
This revolution is about more than philanthropy; it extends beyond simply making donations via cell phones. In fact, cell phones aren’t always the most effective way for donors to make a difference. For instance, text donations being made to help victims of the environmental disasters in Japan may not be processed for on to three months, as phone carriers will only give the money once donors pay their monthly phone bills. While mobile phones are in some cases an effective philanthropic tool, their revolutionary potential lies in their facilitation of grassroots movements for social change.
Mobile phones can facilitate better governance. They can help government entities to communicate with citizens and improve the delivery of social services.
Mobile phones can help entrepreneurs reach new markets
Mobile phones can sow the seeds of cultural change
Mobile phones can combat widespread social problems
Mobile phones can fuel social movements. In countries where authoritarian regimes control many forms of social media, cell phones can enable dissidents to communicate their messages and rally support for uprisings. In Indonesia in 1998, students used cell phones to coordinate protests that precipitated the downfall of the incumbent President Suharto. This was seen again in the recent social revolutions and uprisings in Africa and the Middle East. In Angola, for instance, protesters used SMS to organize demonstrations against the ruling regime
Why have mobile phones suddenly become so powerful? Quite simply, the power of cell phones lies in their vast network. Mobile phones are nearly ubiquitous, especially in developing nations, where cell phone service can be quite inexpensive. Since 1998, the number of cell phones in Africa has increased from under four million to over 400 million, now serving almost half the continent’s population
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