Perspectives on mobiles and PCs: a study of attitudinal convergence and divergence among small businesses in urban India

Abstract

The paper describes two interrelated prioritization exercises, focused on how owners of small and informal businesses in urban India perceive the mobile phone and the personal computer, respectively. Participants performed two Q sorts (a form of card sort) on statements which could apply to either technology. By contrasting how participants prioritize a range of functional and symbolic statements about both devices, we are able to a) see distinct perspectives focused on business vs. personal/relational uses, and b) identify commonalities in the perceptions of the two technologies. Implications of these commonalities are discussed, in light of the trends towards convergence of the two devices, and particularly their different distribution in developing countries.