Breaking up ‘because of the phone’ and the transformative potential of information in Southern Mozambique

Abstract

In Southern Mozambique, most people have a story about themselves or a couple they know who split up ‘because of the phone’ ( por causa do telefone). Although some stories are more dramatic than others, the kinds of misunderstandings they represent are described as the mobile’s biggest drawback. Based on research on mobile phone use among young adults in the city of Inhambane, the article focuses on instances when connections backfire and when mobile phone communication generates conflict. It examines the ways in which mobile communication participates in the circulation of and access to information: not necessarily the kind of ‘useful information’ referred to by endorsers of the ‘ICT for Development’ perspective, but rather information that is meant to remain secret. The aim is to provide an alternative perspective on the transformative potential of mobile communication in the hopes of enhancing our understanding of the impacts of the spread of the technology.