Post on 28-Dec-2015
New media,New media,AfricaAfricaandand2020 …2020 … Guy Berger
Rhodes University, South Africa
Sivu MzamoSivu Mzamo
Tech storyCareer storyEconomic rights storySpatial – development storyCultural story
COMING UP:COMING UP:
1. Context: information society
2. Africa and South Africa
3. New Media Lab
4. Highway Africa
5. Conclusion
SECTION 1: CONTEXTSECTION 1: CONTEXT
Modernisation paradigmModernisation paradigm
Assumption of desirable devt:Urban, affluent, informed, rational.
To get there: technology.
(= Romanticism and determinism)Temp hurdle: tech haves, have-notsIn ICTs, the Digital divide (widening)Answer: disseminate (Rogers)
Challenge!Challenge!
LimitationsLimitations
Desirables? Eg. USA?Technology can be negative.Tech progress is not inevitable.How separate & temporary is the
Digital Divide?Dissemination is a top-down ethos:–Misses bottom-up tech evolution–Misses that the ‘haves’ need have-nots.
Future visionsFuture visions
Pete Rinearson:– Overestimate changes in 2 years– Underestimate in 10.
Media2020: 15 years away!
What is media? And its role?
PredictingPredicting
Certainties:– Globalisation: one world– Conflict: security issues– China: language, script– Connectivity & content: cheaper
Uncertainties:– Shape of inequalities– Cultural power
Options: Options: whatwhat Info Info Society?Society?A holistic concept encompassing:– Tech: ICTs– Occupations– Economics– Geography– Culture.
= An integrated global Info Society, OR= a divided, uneven one?
2020 scenarios2020 scenarios
CENTRES– ICTs: ubiquitous– Occupations:
service– Economics: GDP– Geography: insular– Culture: northern
MARGINS– ICTs: costly– Occupations:
mindless, none– Economics: charity– Geography: colonial– Culture: subaltern
OR: networked globe, automation, value co-created, cosmopolitan, diversity as sought-after.
Summing up:Summing up:
A two-tier Information Society?An inclusive Information Society?… or a transformed one?
SECTION 2: AFRICASECTION 2: AFRICA
Continent commonalitiesContinent commonalities
Not media-dense “Information” not nec “rational” Not an exporter of content Limited beneficiation of imported content Policy environment problematic. Even in SA, role of media constrained by:– Investment deficits & market size– Language diversity– Class and access issues.
South African mediaSouth African media
Licenses: PBS, Commercial, Community. National broadcasters– Terrestrial, analogue: advert dependent– Satellite TV by subscription.
Regional & local radio. 15 dailies, 20 weeklies, 50 mags
= Important info-structure components.
SA media content and roleSA media content and role
Independent, democratic Commercialisation Tabloidisation Plagiarism, but not much
piracy Contraints on exports Quality of content: mixed.
SA new media: internetSA new media: internet
3,6 million online users (5% adults)Mainly white, 50% at workGovt online, but weak MPCCsMedia web content: shovelwareLimited experiments in pay modelsNot commercially viable for publishers
Connectivity:Connectivity:
2 big ISPs plus TelkomStill buying pipes from TelkomWireless: 3G from SentechWifi – very limited. VOIP banned.February 2005: liberalisationBUT: connectivity will still be costly!!!
Current costs:Current costs:
SA was in top 20 connected countries
Now 34th.Cost differential: 13x higher than UK.
Convergence Bill:Convergence Bill:
Move from vertical licensing: – To date, Telkom could do everything and
a consumer received chain of services, infrastructure and devices from them.
To horizontal licensing:–Will be tiers of licences that are “tech
neutral” and open for competitors.– But: radio spectrum use is not neutral.
Policy problems:Policy problems:
Infrastructure is one thing; Applications is another;– Eg. signal distribution, ISP, ecommerce;
Digital content is something else.
Apps can be tech neutral – go on diff infrastructure Content can ride on various apps & infrastructure
But historically, providers of content via airwaves (unlike newspapers) have conditions: local content, watershed periods, electoral obligations
Under new law?: Under new law?:
Suppose SABC is licensed as content provider (via airwaves) …
Does not need license for its website.But what when the same website
content travels on wireless?Licensing of websites???Is diffs between broadcast push &
internet pull significant? (even wrt webcasting?)
What impact for future? What impact for future? Or: will all content producers need
licenses? Even newspapers with sites, or stand-alone sites, or bloggers? And not just audio-visual, but text content producers?
Or will those other than “spectrum-hogs” be exempted as a class?
Point: content licenses should not be relevant to channel (i.e. airwaves, but how this vehicle is used) = not tech neutral!
…. Until digital broadcasting comes along.
Telecoms industry:Telecoms industry:
Telkom: SDC, Malaysians.– Universal service targets but failure.– USA levy but failure.
Cellular operators success.– Vodacom (Telkom, Vodafone)–MTN, Cell-C
Predicted <500 000, now 18 millionAfrican business expansion
Broadband bluesBroadband blues
Telkom: ADSL2nd national operator – 2 years
overdue (Transtel, Esitel)Sentech: 3G
Evolution: content, otherEvolution: content, other
SMS – 17 a month per user
Voice services Costly to use
GPRS MTN going into M-
commerce.
Journalists & ICTsJournalists & ICTs
Barely use cameraphones.Poorly skilled at web research.Inadequate access in newsrooms.Under-researched content in general.Not multi-skilling, SABC bi-media
reversed.Negligible convergence of native &
online newsrooms.
SECTION 3: NEW MEDIA SECTION 3: NEW MEDIA LABLAB
Rhodes New Media LabRhodes New Media Lab
TeachingResearchDevelopmentHighway Africa
1996-1998: phase 11996-1998: phase 1
Period Course Tech Industry Income HA
CARR 2 ug,
Short courses
Gogga search
Booklets
html TML 1 lecturer
(TML)
1 assist-
Self-pd
Telkom
$6000
1998-2001: phase 21998-2001: phase 2
Period Course Tech Industry Income HA
Publishing bubble
1 ug,
CARR
1pg,
WEB
Webcast
Booklets
Site-build-
softwr
TML, iAfrika,
SABC
3 lecturers
1 assist-
Self-pd
Telkom
SABC, DoC
$60000
2002-2004: Phase 32002-2004: Phase 3
Period Course Tech Industry Income HA
CARR,
Publish
Multi-media
1 ug,
CARR
2 pg,
WEB
Multi-
media
Dream
Wevr,
Flash,
Dbase
Online Pub Assoc
1 lecturer
1 assist-
Self-pd
Telkom
SABC, DoC, MTN,
Mchoic
$200000
Multimedia: 3 sitesMultimedia: 3 sites
Tenyearson.org
Alivingstage.org
egazini
2004: NML’s cms in 2004: NML’s cms in CuemediaCuemedia
Work flow trackingWork flow tracking
Performance monitoringPerformance monitoring
Automated online Automated online publishingpublishing
Time managementTime management
Going open source:Going open source:
SECTION 4: HIGHWAY AFRICASECTION 4: HIGHWAY AFRICA
NML 2004 vision:NML 2004 vision:
We see African journalists, empowered by the skills, understandings and access to technology, contributing to a communication and information enriched community, country and continent.
NML 2004 Mission:NML 2004 Mission:
Educate and train journalism students and the media industry;
Advance knowledge through research and dissemination of that research;
Innovate and experiment with technology; Engage with industry and relevant interest
groups.
2005-20082005-2008
Period Course Tech Industry Income HA
CARR,
Publish
Multi-media.
Mobile,
We-media,
CMS,
ICT journ,
HANA
1 ug,
CARR
2 pg,
WEB
Multi-
media
Other specialisBook,
CMS
Dream
Wevr,
Flash,
Dbase.
OSS,
GIS
Online Pub Assoc,
Grocotts Mail,
Zim online, etc.
2 lecturer
1 assist-
Self-pd
Telkom
SABC, DoC, MTN,
Mchoic
Tech?
$220000
Highway Africa history: Highway Africa history:
2001: all African countries connected
Highway Africa history: Highway Africa history:
2001: all African countries connected1997: HA commenced – 65 people2004: 430 external delegs, 17 sponsorsAims:– Raise awareness– Impart skills– Bridge industry-academy– Continental networking
HA themes: HA themes:
97 New media 2000
98 Bringing the highway south
99 Net, media & democracy
HA themes: HA themes:
2000 Africa’s new media century
2001 Digital renaissance
HA themes: HA themes:
2002 Wiring journalism for development (wssd)
2003 Mainstreaming media in the Information Society (wsis)
2004 Media making the Information Society
2005 Reinforcing journalism in the Information Society
For HA, Info Society spans: For HA, Info Society spans:
freedom for new & old media. quality of information, African
voices, policy issues. global ICT potential.
And: it frames this big picture.
Highway Africa since Highway Africa since 2000: 2000:
Website, daily paperRadio, TV, cellular output.Newsroom of the FutureAward for innovationExhibitions
2004: Highway Africa 2004: Highway Africa vision: vision: A vibrant & growing
network of African journalists empowered to advance democracy & development through understanding & use of appropriate technologies.
Highway Africa mission: Highway Africa mission:
sensitize journalists on role of ICT in society & media;
train journalists & journalism teachers in understanding & using technology to access, generate and distribute information;
network journalists, & link them with key stakeholders (academics, policy makers, civil society etc)
Networking examplesNetworking examples
Highway Africa mission Highway Africa mission cntd: cntd: Advocate for a media & technology
environment which enables journalists to play their full role in democracy and development
Research the use and impact of ICTs in Africa with particular ref to the media
Publish and disseminate research and information across a range of platforms
Celebrate innovation & excellence & to promote better practice thru peer review
Celebrate example - Celebrate example - awards:awards:
Highway Africa Highway Africa programmes: programmes:
Five complementary interventions:
1.Research2.Training3.Policy reform4.Information5.Conference
1. HA research1. HA research
Viability of newssites;Web software used;Coverage of IS policy in – Ethiopia, Senegal, DRC, Mozambique,
Kenya, Nigeria, (SA still under way);Use of ICTs in 9 African countries.05: Content management in 6 states.
Research …Research …
Results 04 ICT reporting:– Reproducing press releases– Reactive reporting– Uninformed, uneducated on ICTs– Silence on policy and WSIS
Results 04 ICT Use: – Poor access– Email use, only 50% for research– Low research skills– Newsrooms lack policies
2. HA training2. HA training
Conference workshops x 20 p.a.
2003: 10 day intro course; 2004:
• Intro course (22 journos)• Advanced course to IS (26);
2004: Advocacy (Kenya) 2005: Zim online, short courses.
Training: to report on, and Training: to report on, and useuse
Digital techPolicy Internet governance Intellectual property Indigenous
knowledge ICT reporting
3. HA advocacy3. HA advocacy
Objective: to expand media role as stakeholder in IS policies:
–Conference Declarations“03 Media & the Info Society”
–WSIS prepcoms
– IS policy database
4. Information - HANA4. Information - HANA
HANA history:HANA history:
2002: WSSD x 15 2002: launch of African Union x 15
2003: WSIS – prepcoms, Geneva x 25 2004: Africa Telecoms, WSIS prepcom,
Aitec, Marrakesh, Icann. x 20 2005: Accra prepcom, Tunis in Nov
200 outlets …200 outlets …
Hana’s horizons:Hana’s horizons:
Highly skilled journalists reporting ICT issues to African audiences;
Promoting informed ICT policy and practice around continent;
Becoming a commercially viable agency over a three-year period
5: Conference:5: Conference:
Pulling it all together: Conference objective: To create a platform
for sharing information, knowledge and experience in media and ICTs and to celebrate excellence
Research feeds training, and conference; Training feeds HANA; All feed advocacy.
media2020?media2020?
Rhodes UniversityUniversity of Fort HareWitwatersrand UniversityPeninsula TechnikonBorder TechnikonPort Elizabeth TechnikonUniversity of the NorthUniversity of the Western CapeTshwane University of Science and TechnologyMakerere UniversityNational University of Science and Technology (Zimbabwe)
11 educational institutions attended in 04
SECTION 5: CONCLUSIONSECTION 5: CONCLUSION
Context: information societyAfrica and South AfricaNew Media LabHighway Africa
Prognosis:Prognosis:
Media role and content will significantly shape the Info Society.
Interventions are needed if we want degree of positive integration of Africa, and a common comms space.
The NML offers training, R&D.Highway Africa = outreach impact.
Two developments to Two developments to watch:watch:“Accidental computers”AfricaMediaMatrix @ RU
So … open for So … open for collaborationcollaborationGuy Berger
G.Berger@ru.ac.za
http://www.highwayafrica.org.za
Thank you.