這篇文章提到目前非洲社群網路的發展情形,特別非洲有著特殊的文化與社會經濟背景,加上不同年齡層使用手機/臉書所形成的不同社群型態,於是非洲的網路工作者根據這樣特殊的脈絡去切入,逐漸發展出符合非洲自身需要的社群與跨智慧/功能性手機的app應用,自成一股獨特勢力。非洲由於貧富差距極大、自然的與人為的災害不少,2008年時,肯亞的一群公民記者,發起了 Ushahidi 的開放自由軟體( open-source software ),這套以web 2.0精神為基礎的通報(事件)平台,結合LBS和諸多強大的社群網站外掛,搭配手機SMS與官方app的公眾表列式站台蒐集,以及便於輸出資料的各種API,成為許多國家公益用的災難或社群經營的通報系統。期待未來,非洲的眾多人口與面對苦難的智慧,所長出的網路樣貌阿。 African Social Networks Thrive in a Mobile Culture New and fast-growing mobile social networks could challenge Facebook's growth on the continent. Thursday, April 19, 2012 @technology review, published by MIT By David Talbot When young maize crops began failing in parts of Kenya earlier this month, the bad news—as well as information about where farmers could get seeds for other crops—spread on many Internet sites, including Facebook, which has 38 million users in Africa. But it was a mobile platform called iCow —which allows 11,000 farmers and other members to receive livestock-management and other agricultural information—that