ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses how digital technology can be analyzed from the three perspectives, in particular media economics and a political economy of communication. A few questions addressed in the chapter are: Information and communication technologies (ICTs) contribute to a networked society, from the earliest World Wide Web to social media and digital platforms, new ICTs greatly influenced the daily lives of most of the world's populations. It is crucial to understand the role that digital media plays in media production-whether it is old media (such as newspapers and television broadcasting) or new media (such as the Internet and mobile telecommunications). The chapter guides students to consider if the cell phone was a change agent or a power consolidator in the context of telecommunications industries in developing countries. It concludes by discussing how the cell phone is used in Africa: it helps connect one of the least connected continents, but cell phone companies are also quickly consolidated to become conglomerates.
