Contacts in a box: Cell phones, social relations, and field research in Africa

Abstract

This article discusses the impact of cell-phone use on social life in Africa, and explores its implications for field research. It focuses on new frontiers of economic activity associated with newly emerging product markets, showing how the popularity of cell phones coincides with a shift in the meaning of social ties. Young Africans in particular see in emerging markets an opportunity for personal advancement, and the cell phone is key in their navigation of this. The resulting privatisation of social relations impacts on the rapport researchers seek to establish in the field, as they too become part of the life-projects of aspiring Africans.