New Media Practices in Ghana

Abstract

This article discusses trends in the appropriation of new media in Ghana, as evidenced in existing literature on mobile phones, the Internet, new media production, and gaming. A few themes are evident: the emergence of “smart consumption” practices to mitigate the high cost of mobile phone communication; the association of the Internet with the potential for quick economic gains, leading to varying degrees of criminal or unethical behavior; and what appears to be a clear separation of expectations and approaches to the Internet and mobile phones as technological tools. For example, the Internet points users outward to potentially greener pastures in Western economies, but mobile phones ground users in their local context, keeping them linked to social and economic resources that are more readily accessible.