Context-aware technology public discourses and (un)-informed use : the case of users in a developing country

dc.contributor.authorBarrett, Ayodele A.
dc.contributor.authorMatthee, Machdel C.
dc.contributor.emailmachdel.matthee@up.ac.zaen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2020-05-22T12:36:26Z
dc.date.available2020-05-22T12:36:26Z
dc.date.issued2019-12-20
dc.description.abstractThere is a move towards a future in which consumers of technology are untethered from the devices and technology use becomes subliminal. With this increasing device opacity, loss of user control and increasing device autonomy, there are calls for more research on users’ privacy and freedom of choice. There are, however, key figures in the creation of modern technologies who suggest that consumers are informed of the implications of the use of these technologies or, that consumers use the technologies willingly. This paper examines, using Critical Discourse Analysis, two genres of IT-related communication viz. a speech made by the CEO of Facebook, the largest social-networking site and, the privacy policy document of Truecaller, said to be the most-downloaded app in Africa. Furthermore, 25 Sub-Saharan African users were interviewed on their use and understanding of smartphones. The analysis reveals concerns of consumers regarding the absence of choice, a lack of knowledge and information privacy erosion are not unfounded. The results show also that with the speech and policy document alike, there was information that was distorted or omitted. The conclusion was that the discourses surrounding context-awareness, through confusion, misrepresentations, false assurances and illegitimacy, contribute to information imbalances and asymmetry but most importantly, an uninformed consumer.en_ZA
dc.description.departmentInformaticsen_ZA
dc.description.librarianam2020en_ZA
dc.description.urihttp://sacj.cs.uct.ac.zaen_ZA
dc.identifier.citationBarrett, A.A. and Matthee, M. (2019). Context-aware technology public discourses and (un)-informed use: The case of users in a developing country. South African Computer Journal 31(2), 1–33. https://DOI.org/10.18489/sacj.v31i2.694.en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn1015-7999 (print)
dc.identifier.issn2313-7835 (online)
dc.identifier.other10.18489/sacj.v31i2.694
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/74703
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherComputer Society of South Africaen_ZA
dc.rights© the author(s); published under a Creative Commons NonCommercial 4.0 License (CC BY-NC 4.0).en_ZA
dc.subjectPublic discourses on context-aware technologiesen_ZA
dc.subjectInformed use of smartphonesen_ZA
dc.subjectContext-aware technologiesen_ZA
dc.subjectCritical discourse analysisen_ZA
dc.subjectSmart phone users in developing countriesen_ZA
dc.subjectPrivacy violationen_ZA
dc.titleContext-aware technology public discourses and (un)-informed use : the case of users in a developing countryen_ZA
dc.typeArticleen_ZA

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