Internet use by the Senegalese working classes

Focus on Internet and the working classes
The case of marabouts, street vendors and housekeepers
By Mohamed Sakho Jimbira, Hadj Bangali Cissé
English

In recent years, due to the reduction of the digital divide in terms of equipment and connection costs, many Senegalese people are increasingly using the Internet. In a survey conducted in Dakar, we found that certain segments of the Senegalese working classes, including marabouts, street vendors and housekeepers, were using mobile Internet connections. These individuals have only recently started using this technology and, as they have never attended French school, they are socially and economically disadvantaged. This exploratory research therefore aims to shed light not only on their use of mobile Internet connections, but also on their appropriation of this technology through the use of WhatsApp.

Keywords

  • Senegalese working classes
  • marabouts
  • street vendors
  • cleaners
  • illiteracy
  • practices
  • mobile internet
  • WhatsApp
  • oral culture
  • mediation of relatives
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