Cultural translation of mobile telephones

Mediation of strained communication among Ethiopian married couples

Bibliographic Data

ID4252445
AuthorsSetargew Kenaw (Addis Ababa University, corresponding author)
Year2012
Volume50
Issue1
Pages131-155
Publication date2012-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Journal of Modern African Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-278X • E-ISSN: 1469-7777
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0022278x11000632
OpenAlexW2129347409
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited16

Primarily aiming to highlight and exemplify how a technology can be socially and culturally appropriated, this article draws attention to the role of mobile phone communication in straining relations between married couples on the basis of material from Ethiopia. The findings show that mobile phone-mediated interactions between spouses are filled with monitoring and controlling activities, expressed in such forms as checking call logs, text messages, making casual calls, and switching-off phones, leading to highly strained relations that may result in the marital relation as a whole falling apart. These findings show how a technology can actively shape or influence interactions, and reveal interactions that might otherwise be concealed

Business · Mediation · Mobile radio · Mobile telephony · Political science · Social science · Sociology · Telecommunications · Computer Science · Digital Communication and Language · ICT in Developing Communities · Psychology · Social Media and Politics · Social Psychology

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