Social networking has gone viral – and it's too late to find a cure. Easy internet access on almost all cellphone models has made the phenomenon all the more popular.
Social networking has gone viral – and it's too late to find a cure. Easy internet access on almost all cellphone models has made the phenomenon all the more popular.
Lauren van der Vyver discovers that youngsters in Joza frequently use instant messaging applications and social networks to connect, communicate and escape the challenges of school and home life.
“I feel like I can express myself more on these sites,” says Daneyo Theka, 22. “It can be an escape, because you don’t worry about family pressure, or getting a job." Young people like Theka, who is unemployed, use social networking as a means to stay young and “feel invincible”. Theka’s daily use of instant messaging applications and mobile internet makes him feel valued in a community that wants him to find a job. Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have become a part of most people’s daily lives. Mobile technology is becoming the go-to medium for the youth to connect to the world around them. Young adults in Joza update their status, chat with friends online and use Google to do research so they can get the upper hand in class projects. Mobile social networking has become a global phenomenon that has reached households that don't have the money to buy computers. It costs about two cents to send a message less than 160 characters on the popular mobile instant messaging service, MXit. Mobile internet is becoming cheaper by the day, and almost all entry-level models are capable of connecting to the internet. Even in poorer communities, such as Hoogenoeg, in Grahamstown, social networking is a force in the youth market. Alette Schoon, a Rhodes University Journalism TV lecturer, who has researched mobile technology in township lifestyles in the township, notes how social chat sites such as MXit "provide a way to cope with the disappointment that sets in when the dreams of life after high school turn out to be a lot more difficult to achieve". Social networking services such as MXit and Facebook also provide a space "where youth fantasise about an alternative world where they are loved and valued," says Schoon. Whether it is updating your status or sending a smiley face through MXit to your classmate, teenagers are typing away. MXit has revolutionised how teenagers keep in touch, being far less expensive than sending an SMS. MXit's various chat rooms also provide a means for young adults to connect with people their age in different provinces. Mapapu Simethemba, a matric at TEM Mrwetyana Secondary School in Joza, uses MXit as an escape every day. “I use it all the time. I use it because it is much cheaper and an easy way to chat to friends. And it's fun to use,” he says. Simethemba also browses mobile websites such as Zamob and Waptrick to download animation, wallpapers, music and video clips. More and more South Africans are using their cellphones to search the web, because mobile data rates are often cheaper than using broadband on a computer. Siphamonella Hoggela, a grade 11 student from Nombulelo Secondary School, in Joza, uses his cellphone as a way to keep in touch with his friends. "I use MXit mostly at night to chat to my friends and meet new people. I log onto Facebook at times to update," says Hoggela. He also uses other mobile applications such as Ichat and E-buddy, an online messenger for MSN, Gtalk, Facebook and Yahoo so that he can chat online from anywhere on any platform directly from his phone. Google is used frequently by Joza high school students. Sakhile Lekhori, a grade 11 student at TEM Mrwetyana Secondary School, thinks that mobile Google is easy to use. “For school work and information and any questions I need to answer, Google on my phone is there,” he says. Another student, Masixole Mtse, a grade 10 student from Nombulelo Secondary School, uses mobile internet and applications such as Opera Mini, a free mobile internet browser, to research school projects, "I Google mainly for class, but sometimes the cellphone screen becomes too small, so at times a computer would be better," says Mtse. While mobile internet platforms are on the rise in South Africa and have become a feature of everyday life, internet usage on computers, especially in township schools, is rare. Yvonne Roxo, member of the Nombulelo Secondary School IT committee, says, "It is a necessity and there is a lot of interest from students. They want to learn and use the internet for their school projects." Nombulelo Secondary School gives students the upportunity to learn Microsoft Word, Excel, Publisher, Internet Explorer and Outlook Express. With around 31 terminals in the computer lab, one would think there would be a lot of internet research being done – but this is not the case. "Rhodes University provides an internet quota, but it runs out far too quickly," says Roxo. While students depend on their cellphones to socialise, they usually depend on internet connections in central Grahamstown for school projects. "With mobile internet so readily available to anyone who owns a cellphone, these setbacks do not matter," Roxo said. Despite the lack of internet access in schools, websites such as awareNet provide social networking software for various schools in the Grahamstown area, so groups can chat and create communities that span the digital divide. Awarenet features student profiles, calendars, blogs and image galleries. (((seperate box))) The cost of being connected The cost of accessing the internet using your mobile phone is dropping all the time, as new competitors, products and technologies enter the market. To view a schedule of the current costs, go to www.hellkom.co.za/data-bundles.
Stay in the know! A great mobi-site you might like to try out is Grahamstown NOW, which keeps you in the know about Grahamstown events, business specials, news, weather, movie and radio schedules and much more! Check it out on your phone at www.ghtnow.co.za
