TwendeAn app for first time

mobile internet users

the digital divide

Digital divide: inequalities in

1. Access

2. Knowledge

3. Use

of information technology

Access

High mobile internet penetration

Declining data costs

Cheap internet-ready handsets

Free mobile-optimized browsers

Digital divide: Inequalities in

1. Access

2. Knowledge

3. Use

of information technology

“ I know this life is not

for me, I know I will

get out, and I hear in

the Internet I can get

information . . . all

type of information. I

know it will help me

get out.”

• Research in Khayelitsha SA

(Gitau, Marsden, Donner 2010)

• HH income $150-$960 p/m, rural

migrants, high school education

• All owned internet-ready phones

• Some had heard of the internet, but

most did not know their phones

could access it.

It is as if we have

built a great

library, stocked

books, issued

library cards…

… where are the

readers?

What are the challenges

for first time mobile

internet users?

1Many first time mobile

internet users don’t know

where to begin

2Most of the web is

irrelevant for local users

with local problems

3Internet on a mobile

phone is hard to use for

a first-timer

What is the solution for

first time mobile internet

users? Twende

twende has a simple

home page with

community voted links

1 Start

1 Start

twende has a simple

home page with

community voted links

twende helps

you find

relevant,

local info

results

2 Search

2 Search

twende helps

you find

relevant, lo

cal info

results

twende lets

you share

new useful

sites with

others

3 Share

3 Share

twende lets

you share

new useful

sites with

others

what next?

use

marialangat@gmail.com

twitter: @marialangat