24 February 2016

Introduction

  • improved reach and affordability
  • yet, stagnating growth
ggplot(data=ITU2015, aes(x=year, y=adoption, colour=region)) + geom_smooth(se=FALSE)

Language Disparities

  • gross overrepesentation of certain languages vs.
    • general population
    • online population

QUESTION: lowest bars, chicken vs. egg?

Design

Identification Strategy: Setswana introduced on google.co.za at end the of 2010

  • Spillover of translation work for google.co.bw

Data: South Africa's National Income Dynamics Survey (2008, 2010, 2011)

  • around 10,000 households; 50,000 adults; 10,000 Setswana speakers
  • cellphones; computers; internet access and expenditure
ggplot(data=NIDS, aes(x=a_lng, fill=a_woman)) + geom_bar()

Internet Effect

lm(h_nfnet ~  interface_intro*setswana_logical + 
              hhincome                         + 
              best_edu)
Estimate Std. Error t value Pr(>|t|)
(Intercept) -0.0064613 0.0012875 -5.018440 0.0000005
interface_introTRUE -0.0086071 0.0012034 -7.152506 0.0000000
setswana_logicalTRUE -0.0126197 0.0023493 -5.371588 0.0000001
hhincome 0.0000030 0.0000001 53.190563 0.0000000
best_edu 0.0008946 0.0000897 9.967972 0.0000000
interface_introTRUE:setswana_logicalTRUE 0.0107772 0.0038559 2.795030 0.0051915
  • Covariates: linguistic skills
  • Alternative formulation: Interact interface_intro with a_lng

Computer Ownership

lm(a_owncom ~ interface_intro*setswana_logical + 
              a_woman                          + 
              hhincome                         + 
              best_edu)
Estimate Std. Error t value Pr(>|t|)
(Intercept) -0.0127591 0.0024364 -5.236769 0.0000002
interface_introTRUE 0.0063938 0.0020626 3.099844 0.0019373
setswana_logicalTRUE -0.0120668 0.0040260 -2.997200 0.0027260
a_womanTRUE -0.0258797 0.0019270 -13.429711 0.0000000
hhincome 0.0000069 0.0000001 70.685555 0.0000000
best_edu 0.0036286 0.0001529 23.725632 0.0000000
interface_introTRUE:setswana_logicalTRUE 0.0226367 0.0066480 3.405056 0.0006620

Closing Remarks

If you talk to a man in a language he understands that goes to his head.

If you talk to a man in his language that goes to his heart.

                                                 - Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela
  • accessibility improves adoption
  • observed long term commitment: computer ownership
  • mobile needs directly visible link
  • data, code, paper, presenation available online: http://qua.st/internet-demand