William Lesitaokana | University of Botswana (original) (raw)
Papers by William Lesitaokana
African Journalism Studies
The purpose of this thesis is to offer an ethnographic account of the interactive relationship be... more The purpose of this thesis is to offer an ethnographic account of the interactive relationship between mobile phones and urban youth in Botswana, a developing country in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although the adoption, consumption and meanings of the mobile phone among youth have received huge mention in the literature in relation to developed nations, to date there is very little similar research from many developing countries in the global South, where young people's lifestyles are influenced by their distinct traditional cultures and characterised by unique socio-economic challenges such as rural-urban migration, unemployment, poverty and the digital divide. Using the three methods of qualitative research, namely non-participant observations (including diaries) and focus group discussions with twenty-eight urban youth aged between 18 and 25 in Francistown and Gaborone; as well as semi-structured interviews with thirty other people who interacted with youth participants in the study...
Mobile Technology and Social Transformations, 2021
This study explored the interactive relationship between young people and MP3 technologies on mas... more This study explored the interactive relationship between young people and MP3 technologies on mass transit spaces in Boston. Despite expectations that MP3 devices are exclusively significant for listening to music while travelling, this study has established that young people in Boston have resorted to putting the devices to many other distinct uses, such as to create personal media spaces; block away potential strangers; displace self out of mass transit spaces and for personal identity and social status. While using MP3 devices, these young people are withdrawn from public spaces. Also, they occasionally disturb others by singing along with the music that plays on their devices. However, with the introduction of new digital communication technologies, such as smartphones, which are quickly replacing traditional MP3 players, it is not yet known how much impact these devices have in the everyday lives of urban youth.
Drawing from the focus groups and semi-structured interviews conducted on urban youth in Botswana... more Drawing from the focus groups and semi-structured interviews conducted on urban youth in Botswana, this study adds to the literature of mobile phone adoption among youth in the global South. The study indicates that mobile phone adoption among youth in Botswana is predominantly influenced by factors such as the need for connectedness, cost and perceived usefulness of mobile phone handsets. Moreover,this study demonstrates that acquisition of mobile phones among youth is an ongoing process, as it involves a young person starting to acquire and use a mobile phone (initial adoption), and then developing a strong link with the device through continuous consumption. This paper goes on to argue that although mobile phones are global technology, in each region young people’s adoption of the devices is shaped by their traditional lifestyles, as well as the socio-economic challenges that they face. Key words: Adoption, Botswana, influence, mobile phones, youth, challenges.
International Journal of Cultural Studies, 2017
Drawing upon qualitative research data of a study I carried out in Gaborone and Francistown, this... more Drawing upon qualitative research data of a study I carried out in Gaborone and Francistown, this article attempts to demonstrate that the mobile phone is ubiquitous and cultural technology which has become central to young people’s intimate relationships. In particular, the use of mobile phones in romantic relationships among urban youth in Botswana is evinced in two ways, both of which are clearly local and distinct. First, the mobile phone is useful to facilitate emotional intimacy through voice calls, text messages and social networking, thus serving as a substantial link between intimate partners. Second, through its cost value, the mobile phone is recognised as a perfect gift to express practical intimacy in romantic relationships. This study therefore suggests that, in the way it is used, the mobile phone influences youth to create or recreate mobile cultures, which are to some extent predicated on their traditional lifestyles.
African Historical Review, 2019
Journal of African Media Studies, 2017
In this paper, I consider how mobile phones have become central to the everyday lives of students... more In this paper, I consider how mobile phones have become central to the everyday lives of students in Botswana. Using non-participant observations and focus group discussions, this ethnographic study explored why students in Botswana consider mobile phones as 'must have' technology. The devices promise them extensive connectedness with their families and friends, facilitate learning, and stimulate a sense of personal identity and belonging into social groups. The potency of mobile phones in this regard is expressly linked to the socio-economic challenges that these students face, such as rural-urban migration, the digital divide and poverty. This paper therefore suggests that although empirical studies about the use of mobile phones by college and university students from various regions may show slightly similar findings, the specific uses of the device in each region across the world is determined by the socio-economic challenges that the students face.
4th Annual International Conference on Journalism & Mass Communications (JMComm 2015), 2015
Handbook of Children and Youth Studies, 2015
Journal of Applied Journalism & Media Studies, 2014
Contemporary studies of journalism and new media indicate that news audiences prefer to read onli... more Contemporary studies of journalism and new media indicate that news audiences prefer to read online newspapers because they are generally interactive, host multimedia content and report breaking news. However, the literature on the impact of digital media technologies on traditional print publication consumption patterns in Botswana and the African continent is hard to come by. Thus, this study, using multistage cluster sampling and focus group discussions, sets out to explore how audience members in Botswana engage with online news vis-á-vis traditional newspapers. It finds out that news audiences have a favorable attitude towards online newspapers but still prefer traditional newspapers, and that in Botswana specifically, access to online and traditional newspapers is influenced by factors such as cost and convenience. The study's findings indicate clearly that while new media technologies continue to influence new trends and practices in journalism globally, audiences' experience with these technologies differ from country to country.
New Media & Society, 2013
This article explored the key issues in the development of mobile telephony in Botswana from 1998... more This article explored the key issues in the development of mobile telephony in Botswana from 1998 to 2011. The study has shown that as a developing country, Botswana has done well to develop and structurally position the mobile telephony sector for the benefit of its citizens. This is evidenced by the high rate of subscription of mobile telephony countrywide and continuous attempts by the government to network under-served communities. However, the sector has been left in the hands of a quasi-governmental corporation and private individual businessmen. In addition, there is serious competition for subscribers amongst network operators, uneven diffusion of network technologies and inadequate communication signal in some remote areas. Therefore, this study argues for additional reforms, with a view to strengthening and positioning the sector for effective use in order to deliver social services and increase diversification of the economy.
Journal of Sociology, 2012
Journal of Sociology, 2012
Journal of Radio & Audio Media, 2013
ABSTRACT To a certain extent, the position of radio in Botswana since the colonial period has ben... more ABSTRACT To a certain extent, the position of radio in Botswana since the colonial period has benefited significantly from recent developments in the media. The potency of radio as a mobile medium; its usefulness for public dialogue and entertainment; and its effectiveness as a less sophisticated technology that is easily accessible and adaptable in remote communities, have ensured that radio remains the most preferred and dominant medium of mass communication in Botswana. The recent introduction of the Internet and digital communication technologies also meant that in Botswana, radio is appropriately situated in the World Wide Web and mobile phones.
IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Magazine, 2001
My brand new super toaster, where I occasionally warm (or actually burn) up my morning bread, doe... more My brand new super toaster, where I occasionally warm (or actually burn) up my morning bread, does not have a single digital electronics component or brilliant add-on functions just short strips of resistive wire, a mechanical switch, and a bimetallic spring all housed in an ugly plastic enclosure. But the bits are marching in!!! One of the most controversial application areas of “marching bits” must be digital television or Digital Video Broadcasting, (in short, DVB), which is being pushed to the market by several enterprises and network operators -just the way we are getting DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) instead of FM stereo or vintage AM for the radio news. Whereas most of us have been used to a slightly smudged NTSC, PAL or SECAM video, transmitted over a fading and interference-covered radio channel, in the near future we will meet OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) and MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) improvements with hardly any noticeable changes in the content. Anyhow, due to the digital era in the studios and television centres, instead of reading on our screens a black-and-white still-camera shot “Sorry for the delay we are loading the film projector” which happened in the late 1950s; the coming years will give us “Sorry for the delay we are (again) booting out server.’’ Probably the broadcasting community got a late wake-up call; even after that it was sluggish in its response. In past decades, television broadcasting (and FM radio, as well) has been an autonomous field at least in Europe and there have been really vanishing (if any) connections at all to general telecommunications where things have made fast progress. In many also western countries, the governmental “touch” to TV has been strong, and political issues have had their unavoidable influence on the technical development of transmission systems. Although there have been, since the 1980’s, a number of evaluations of quality, capacity, and service enhancements for terrestrial television, including Teletext, D2-MAC (in Europe), HDTV (High Definition TV) and ATV (Advanced TV) in the US, only the rapid introduction of digital multimedia has been a strong enough external force to initiate any reasonable change. The drive has been of both a technical nature (similar to the case when people started getting better sound reproduction from their CDs compared to original FM stereo) and, at the same time, a question of taste. One can watch “Gone with The Wind” for the 101” round at anytime from a high quality DVD (Digital Video Disc). This practical reference book, Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting Designs, Systems and Operation by Paul Dambacher from Germany, is focused mainly on the systems technology of vision broadcasting, its latest developments, basic theoretical questions, and related measurements. The publisher, Springer Verlag, considers the text to be suitable both for engineers, students of communications engineering, and those media exeperts who work within the broadcasting community. A total of eleven separate chapters is included, with some 130 illustrations (mainly line drawings), about 120 references, a very useful list of abbreviations, and an alphabetical index. After the historical introduction in Chapter 1, the present state of terrestrial analog television is discussed both from the point of program distribution and transmitters but with relatively limited comments on well-known weaknesses. Interestingly, a short listing of analog measurements has been seen as important. In Chapter 3, the main elements of digital television are described (which means MPEG for baseband and OFDM for the modulation and RF) while the specifications for these are in Chapter 4. The next three chapters are devoted to program feeds, DVB transmitter fundamentals (with those cute little water-cooled power tetrodes), and a number of measurement questions. Following these, the very problematic issue of synchronization of transmitter systems is in Chapter 8, and coverage or network planning in Chapter 9. The crystal ball is given a glance for some future prospects in Chapter 10 and a very short summary follows. The author, Dr. Paul Dambacher, has a professional background in television and sound technology extending across more than thirty years. His career has grown within the famous Rohde & Schwarz (R & S) Company, of Munich,
In this article, I consider mobile phone consumption among urban youth in Botswana, focusing spec... more In this article, I consider mobile phone consumption among urban youth in Botswana, focusing specifically on texting. During the course of this article, I demonstrate that due to the continuous need to connect with other people, as well as the inexpensive nature of texting on mobile phones, urban youth in Botswana have developed a penchant to texting on mobile phones. In particular, youth use text messaging on their devices to re-ensconce their traditional obligations of connecting with family, relatives and associates; and to link-up with their peers and other users through sms, chats, emails and online social networks. Despite this, much texting when other people are around is considered an ill-mannered activity among youth in Botswana. Overall, the findings of this study suggest that much texting, which is common among youth in Botswana is an indication that there is a close relationship between mobile phone use and the socio-economic challenges such as unemployment, poverty and ...
Journal of Applied Journalism & Media Studies, 2014
Contemporary studies of journalism and new media indicate that news audiences prefer to read onli... more Contemporary studies of journalism and new media indicate that news audiences prefer to read online newspapers because they are generally interactive, host multimedia content and report breaking news. However, the literature on the impact of digital media technologies on traditional print publication consumption patterns in Botswana and the African continent is hard to come by. Thus, this study, using multistage cluster sampling and focus group discussions, sets out to explore how audience members in Botswana engage with online news vis-á-vis traditional newspapers. It finds out that news audiences have a favorable attitude towards online newspapers but still prefer traditional newspapers, and that in Botswana specifically, access to online and traditional newspapers is influenced by factors such as cost and convenience. The study's findings indicate clearly that while new media technologies continue to influence new trends and practices in journalism globally, audiences' experience with these technologies differ from country to country.
African Journalism Studies
The purpose of this thesis is to offer an ethnographic account of the interactive relationship be... more The purpose of this thesis is to offer an ethnographic account of the interactive relationship between mobile phones and urban youth in Botswana, a developing country in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although the adoption, consumption and meanings of the mobile phone among youth have received huge mention in the literature in relation to developed nations, to date there is very little similar research from many developing countries in the global South, where young people's lifestyles are influenced by their distinct traditional cultures and characterised by unique socio-economic challenges such as rural-urban migration, unemployment, poverty and the digital divide. Using the three methods of qualitative research, namely non-participant observations (including diaries) and focus group discussions with twenty-eight urban youth aged between 18 and 25 in Francistown and Gaborone; as well as semi-structured interviews with thirty other people who interacted with youth participants in the study...
Mobile Technology and Social Transformations, 2021
This study explored the interactive relationship between young people and MP3 technologies on mas... more This study explored the interactive relationship between young people and MP3 technologies on mass transit spaces in Boston. Despite expectations that MP3 devices are exclusively significant for listening to music while travelling, this study has established that young people in Boston have resorted to putting the devices to many other distinct uses, such as to create personal media spaces; block away potential strangers; displace self out of mass transit spaces and for personal identity and social status. While using MP3 devices, these young people are withdrawn from public spaces. Also, they occasionally disturb others by singing along with the music that plays on their devices. However, with the introduction of new digital communication technologies, such as smartphones, which are quickly replacing traditional MP3 players, it is not yet known how much impact these devices have in the everyday lives of urban youth.
Drawing from the focus groups and semi-structured interviews conducted on urban youth in Botswana... more Drawing from the focus groups and semi-structured interviews conducted on urban youth in Botswana, this study adds to the literature of mobile phone adoption among youth in the global South. The study indicates that mobile phone adoption among youth in Botswana is predominantly influenced by factors such as the need for connectedness, cost and perceived usefulness of mobile phone handsets. Moreover,this study demonstrates that acquisition of mobile phones among youth is an ongoing process, as it involves a young person starting to acquire and use a mobile phone (initial adoption), and then developing a strong link with the device through continuous consumption. This paper goes on to argue that although mobile phones are global technology, in each region young people’s adoption of the devices is shaped by their traditional lifestyles, as well as the socio-economic challenges that they face. Key words: Adoption, Botswana, influence, mobile phones, youth, challenges.
International Journal of Cultural Studies, 2017
Drawing upon qualitative research data of a study I carried out in Gaborone and Francistown, this... more Drawing upon qualitative research data of a study I carried out in Gaborone and Francistown, this article attempts to demonstrate that the mobile phone is ubiquitous and cultural technology which has become central to young people’s intimate relationships. In particular, the use of mobile phones in romantic relationships among urban youth in Botswana is evinced in two ways, both of which are clearly local and distinct. First, the mobile phone is useful to facilitate emotional intimacy through voice calls, text messages and social networking, thus serving as a substantial link between intimate partners. Second, through its cost value, the mobile phone is recognised as a perfect gift to express practical intimacy in romantic relationships. This study therefore suggests that, in the way it is used, the mobile phone influences youth to create or recreate mobile cultures, which are to some extent predicated on their traditional lifestyles.
African Historical Review, 2019
Journal of African Media Studies, 2017
In this paper, I consider how mobile phones have become central to the everyday lives of students... more In this paper, I consider how mobile phones have become central to the everyday lives of students in Botswana. Using non-participant observations and focus group discussions, this ethnographic study explored why students in Botswana consider mobile phones as 'must have' technology. The devices promise them extensive connectedness with their families and friends, facilitate learning, and stimulate a sense of personal identity and belonging into social groups. The potency of mobile phones in this regard is expressly linked to the socio-economic challenges that these students face, such as rural-urban migration, the digital divide and poverty. This paper therefore suggests that although empirical studies about the use of mobile phones by college and university students from various regions may show slightly similar findings, the specific uses of the device in each region across the world is determined by the socio-economic challenges that the students face.
4th Annual International Conference on Journalism & Mass Communications (JMComm 2015), 2015
Handbook of Children and Youth Studies, 2015
Journal of Applied Journalism & Media Studies, 2014
Contemporary studies of journalism and new media indicate that news audiences prefer to read onli... more Contemporary studies of journalism and new media indicate that news audiences prefer to read online newspapers because they are generally interactive, host multimedia content and report breaking news. However, the literature on the impact of digital media technologies on traditional print publication consumption patterns in Botswana and the African continent is hard to come by. Thus, this study, using multistage cluster sampling and focus group discussions, sets out to explore how audience members in Botswana engage with online news vis-á-vis traditional newspapers. It finds out that news audiences have a favorable attitude towards online newspapers but still prefer traditional newspapers, and that in Botswana specifically, access to online and traditional newspapers is influenced by factors such as cost and convenience. The study's findings indicate clearly that while new media technologies continue to influence new trends and practices in journalism globally, audiences' experience with these technologies differ from country to country.
New Media & Society, 2013
This article explored the key issues in the development of mobile telephony in Botswana from 1998... more This article explored the key issues in the development of mobile telephony in Botswana from 1998 to 2011. The study has shown that as a developing country, Botswana has done well to develop and structurally position the mobile telephony sector for the benefit of its citizens. This is evidenced by the high rate of subscription of mobile telephony countrywide and continuous attempts by the government to network under-served communities. However, the sector has been left in the hands of a quasi-governmental corporation and private individual businessmen. In addition, there is serious competition for subscribers amongst network operators, uneven diffusion of network technologies and inadequate communication signal in some remote areas. Therefore, this study argues for additional reforms, with a view to strengthening and positioning the sector for effective use in order to deliver social services and increase diversification of the economy.
Journal of Sociology, 2012
Journal of Sociology, 2012
Journal of Radio & Audio Media, 2013
ABSTRACT To a certain extent, the position of radio in Botswana since the colonial period has ben... more ABSTRACT To a certain extent, the position of radio in Botswana since the colonial period has benefited significantly from recent developments in the media. The potency of radio as a mobile medium; its usefulness for public dialogue and entertainment; and its effectiveness as a less sophisticated technology that is easily accessible and adaptable in remote communities, have ensured that radio remains the most preferred and dominant medium of mass communication in Botswana. The recent introduction of the Internet and digital communication technologies also meant that in Botswana, radio is appropriately situated in the World Wide Web and mobile phones.
IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Magazine, 2001
My brand new super toaster, where I occasionally warm (or actually burn) up my morning bread, doe... more My brand new super toaster, where I occasionally warm (or actually burn) up my morning bread, does not have a single digital electronics component or brilliant add-on functions just short strips of resistive wire, a mechanical switch, and a bimetallic spring all housed in an ugly plastic enclosure. But the bits are marching in!!! One of the most controversial application areas of “marching bits” must be digital television or Digital Video Broadcasting, (in short, DVB), which is being pushed to the market by several enterprises and network operators -just the way we are getting DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) instead of FM stereo or vintage AM for the radio news. Whereas most of us have been used to a slightly smudged NTSC, PAL or SECAM video, transmitted over a fading and interference-covered radio channel, in the near future we will meet OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) and MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) improvements with hardly any noticeable changes in the content. Anyhow, due to the digital era in the studios and television centres, instead of reading on our screens a black-and-white still-camera shot “Sorry for the delay we are loading the film projector” which happened in the late 1950s; the coming years will give us “Sorry for the delay we are (again) booting out server.’’ Probably the broadcasting community got a late wake-up call; even after that it was sluggish in its response. In past decades, television broadcasting (and FM radio, as well) has been an autonomous field at least in Europe and there have been really vanishing (if any) connections at all to general telecommunications where things have made fast progress. In many also western countries, the governmental “touch” to TV has been strong, and political issues have had their unavoidable influence on the technical development of transmission systems. Although there have been, since the 1980’s, a number of evaluations of quality, capacity, and service enhancements for terrestrial television, including Teletext, D2-MAC (in Europe), HDTV (High Definition TV) and ATV (Advanced TV) in the US, only the rapid introduction of digital multimedia has been a strong enough external force to initiate any reasonable change. The drive has been of both a technical nature (similar to the case when people started getting better sound reproduction from their CDs compared to original FM stereo) and, at the same time, a question of taste. One can watch “Gone with The Wind” for the 101” round at anytime from a high quality DVD (Digital Video Disc). This practical reference book, Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting Designs, Systems and Operation by Paul Dambacher from Germany, is focused mainly on the systems technology of vision broadcasting, its latest developments, basic theoretical questions, and related measurements. The publisher, Springer Verlag, considers the text to be suitable both for engineers, students of communications engineering, and those media exeperts who work within the broadcasting community. A total of eleven separate chapters is included, with some 130 illustrations (mainly line drawings), about 120 references, a very useful list of abbreviations, and an alphabetical index. After the historical introduction in Chapter 1, the present state of terrestrial analog television is discussed both from the point of program distribution and transmitters but with relatively limited comments on well-known weaknesses. Interestingly, a short listing of analog measurements has been seen as important. In Chapter 3, the main elements of digital television are described (which means MPEG for baseband and OFDM for the modulation and RF) while the specifications for these are in Chapter 4. The next three chapters are devoted to program feeds, DVB transmitter fundamentals (with those cute little water-cooled power tetrodes), and a number of measurement questions. Following these, the very problematic issue of synchronization of transmitter systems is in Chapter 8, and coverage or network planning in Chapter 9. The crystal ball is given a glance for some future prospects in Chapter 10 and a very short summary follows. The author, Dr. Paul Dambacher, has a professional background in television and sound technology extending across more than thirty years. His career has grown within the famous Rohde & Schwarz (R & S) Company, of Munich,
In this article, I consider mobile phone consumption among urban youth in Botswana, focusing spec... more In this article, I consider mobile phone consumption among urban youth in Botswana, focusing specifically on texting. During the course of this article, I demonstrate that due to the continuous need to connect with other people, as well as the inexpensive nature of texting on mobile phones, urban youth in Botswana have developed a penchant to texting on mobile phones. In particular, youth use text messaging on their devices to re-ensconce their traditional obligations of connecting with family, relatives and associates; and to link-up with their peers and other users through sms, chats, emails and online social networks. Despite this, much texting when other people are around is considered an ill-mannered activity among youth in Botswana. Overall, the findings of this study suggest that much texting, which is common among youth in Botswana is an indication that there is a close relationship between mobile phone use and the socio-economic challenges such as unemployment, poverty and ...
Journal of Applied Journalism & Media Studies, 2014
Contemporary studies of journalism and new media indicate that news audiences prefer to read onli... more Contemporary studies of journalism and new media indicate that news audiences prefer to read online newspapers because they are generally interactive, host multimedia content and report breaking news. However, the literature on the impact of digital media technologies on traditional print publication consumption patterns in Botswana and the African continent is hard to come by. Thus, this study, using multistage cluster sampling and focus group discussions, sets out to explore how audience members in Botswana engage with online news vis-á-vis traditional newspapers. It finds out that news audiences have a favorable attitude towards online newspapers but still prefer traditional newspapers, and that in Botswana specifically, access to online and traditional newspapers is influenced by factors such as cost and convenience. The study's findings indicate clearly that while new media technologies continue to influence new trends and practices in journalism globally, audiences' experience with these technologies differ from country to country.