Contextualizing Mobile Diffusion of the Sub-Saharan Region: Explanatory Analysis of Factors Affecting Mobile Diffusion in Sub-Saharan African countries

Abstract

The study aims to challenge the prevalent assumption of technological determinism in the field of mobile diffusion research by utilizing a contextualized approach with quantitative variables. It conducted random effects analysis with the data of 40 sub-Saharan African countries from 2000 to 2017. The study finds that what has been generally accepted, as developed countries’ mobile diffusion factors may not have the same dynamics for the sub-Saharan region due to heterogeneity among countries where collectivistic societal cultures reside in values in the region, and feedback loop features of the mobile diffusion process of the sub-Saharan countries.