Technology-Culture Dialogue

This study explores the dialogical relation between technologies and societies with a focus on cultural and socio-technical appropriation of mobile phone use in Ethiopia. It dovetails mobile technology related issues; how and why mobile phones are shared among users; how relations are mediated between married couples; what opportunities the mobile technology offers for repair men and women in the country. Informed by the Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) approach, the study represents mobile phone users as "relevant social groups." It compares the meanings that come out of these groups and makes a critical examination of the notion of "co-construction" in SCOT.