Hillhacks

A Session by Rohini Lakshané, at

The proliferation of inexpensive mobile devices, data plans and the popularity of mobile applications such as WhatsApp have changed the way the people in developing countries conduct business. The widespread adoption of these services and the alternative uses of platforms such as Facebook have implications for digital security, privacy, net neutrality and the way digital cultures shape up.

The session includes a 15 minute talk and 15 minutes for discussion with the audience.

The proliferation of inexpensive mobile devices, data plans and the popularity of mobile applications such as WhatsApp have changed the way the people in developing countries conduct business. Several businesses – from small-time fisherfolk to standalone shop owners to traders at the highest rung of the hierarchy – use WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger or similar IM services to discuss prices for the day, circumvent middlemen (or their fleecing), procure new goods quickly and other activities. In a price-sensitive market, these services which are available free of monetary cost and enjoy a large network of users are quickly embraced. These services are also incredibly versatile – they allow for sending and receiving text, image, video and audio messages, far less formal, cheaper, and time consuming than placing a phone call or sending an email.

Countries such as India where the mobile phone is often the only way to access the Internet, some e-commerce websites have gone app-only (E.g. Flipkart, Myntra). Demographics that do not read English and belong to the low-income strata, these apps facilitate buying choices, price comparisons, and thwart fleecing by vendors. It is interesting to note that these demographics may not possess the know-how or resources (such as a debit card) to actually purchase anything from the online store. On the other hand, informal communities (E.g. Second to None on Facebook) have sprung up to barter goods or sell used stuff circumventing services for, say, classifieds. These communities seem to have a dynamic where there is implicit trust between members and the share of personal information happens through the system of checks and balances of the individual users. They do not rely on the administration or the platform to vet its user or provide a system for check and balances for the purposes of buying and selling. The easy of using the platform and the size of the network of users seems to play an important role in this respect as well.

The widespread adoption of these services and the alternative uses of platforms such as Facebook have implications for digital security, privacy, net neutrality and the way digital cultures shape up.

I work at the Centre for Internet and Society, Bengaluru, India. Profile: http://about.me/rohini Twitter: @aldebaran14