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'I Don't Trust the Phone; It Always Lies': Trust and Information and Communication Technologies in Tanzanian Micro- and Small Enterprises

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  • Thomas Molony

    (Centre of African Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland)

Abstract

Despite its importance in African enterprise, the issue of "trust" is absent in information and communication technology for development scholarship. This article examines three case study subsectors of the Tanzanian economy to shed light on some of the complexities surrounding the sudden interface between traditional, established communication, and the increasing use of new information and communication technologies (ICTs). It seems from the case studies that, whereas mobile phones are indeed creating new forms of network in the twenty-first century, they are still far from being Africa's dominant form of network as Støvring (2004, 22) contends. The case studies reveal the overlap between social interaction and business in an African economy. Trust emerges as a common theme, and I discuss how important an issue it is in relation to the new form of communication that ICT provides for entrepreneurs in Africa. I suggest that, in relation to ICT in developing countries, trust might at this stage be separated from the more slippery concept of social capital that it is frequently associated with elsewhere. I then reflect on the implications of this for future research into ICT and its business and nonbusiness applications in developing countries. I conclude by suggesting that the need for direct, personal interaction through face-to-face contact-a traditional pre-ICT aspect of African business culture-is unlikely to change for some time. (c) 2007 by The Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas Molony, 2007. "'I Don't Trust the Phone; It Always Lies': Trust and Information and Communication Technologies in Tanzanian Micro- and Small Enterprises," Information Technologies and International Development, MIT Press, vol. 3(4), pages 67-83, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:tpr:itintd:v:3:y:2007:i:4:p:67-83
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    Cited by:

    1. Richard A. Duncombe, 2014. "Understanding the Impact of Mobile Phones on Livelihoods in Developing Countries," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 32(5), pages 567-588, September.
    2. Mahamadou Roufahi Tankari, 2018. "Mobile Phone and Households¡¯ Poverty: Evidence from Niger," Journal of Economic Development, Chung-Ang Unviersity, Department of Economics, vol. 43(2), pages 67-84, June.
    3. Judith MARISCAL & Ernesto M. FLORES-ROUX, 2010. "The Enigma of Mobile Money Systems," Communications & Strategies, IDATE, Com&Strat dept., vol. 1(79), pages 41-62, 3rd quart.

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