Abstract:
Cell phones present new forms of sociality and new possibilities of encounter for young people across the
globe. Nowhere is this more evident than in sub-Saharan Africa where the scale of usage, even among the
very poor, is remarkable. In this paper we reflect on the inter-generational encounters which are embedded
in young people’s cell phone interactions, and consider the wider societal implications, not least the
potential for associated shifts in the generational balance of power. An intriguing feature of this changing
generational nexus is that while many young people’s phone-based interactions, from their mid-teens
onwards, are shifting away from the older generation towards friendship networks in their own age
cohort, at the same time they are repositioning themselves – or becoming repositioned – as family information hubs, as a consequence of their phone expertise. The paper draws on mixed-methods research
with young people aged c. 9–25 years and in-depth interviews with older age-groups in 24 sites (ranging
from high density poor urban to remote rural) across Ghana, Malawi and South Africa.
