MOBILE PHONES, INTERNET, AND GENDER IN MYANMAR MOBILE PHONES, INTERNET, AND GENDER IN MYANMAR 5.2.3 Mobile usage Many owners cannot imagine being without a phone anymore as their mobile has become a constant companion in their daily lives. Men’s and women’s mobile usage is largely the same, according to the survey data. After missed calls, SMS,40 and voice calls, the most popular uses were entertainment-related (Table 6). Mobiles provide a much-welcomed source of entertainment, especially in rural areas, where entertainment options are limited (two state TV channels, although reception and electricity availability varies). Furthermore, for women who generally have to be home after dark, mobile entertainment is valued. The top entertainment use among women and men was listening to music. Gaming was the next most popular use of a mobile, equally popular among women as men, with a third of mobile owners gaming on their mobiles (most of this use was among those below 34 years). Current non-owners cited gaming as a motivation for getting a mobile phone. Many are aware of the addictive nature of games. Mothers spoken to in the qualitative research were concerned their children were getting distracted from their studies, so they only allowed them to game after they finish their homework. Some wives were not happy that their husbands spent too much time (and money) gaming. The game Clash of Clans is very popular, and some participants justified their frequent gaming with the potential to make money from it. There is apparently a market for Clash of Clans accounts, and if one has many jewels/points it can be “The phone is near me all the time except when I take a bath.” FGD Yangon, female owner, 18–29, working, SEC B/C “With a mobile my mother would not be worried anymore and I could download music.” HV Yangon, male non-owner, 29, working, SEC B What mobile owners do with their mobiles sold for several hundred dollars. Sixteen percent of female mobile owners used some kind of social media compared to 19% of male mobile owners (although this use was mostly Facebook). Qualitative respondents who were already internet users41 often mentioned social media and gaming as their favorite pastimes. Calling and chat applications were also popular low-cost ways of communicating. Section 5.3 looks at internet and application use in Myanmar in more detail. “These days we are wasting so much time with gaming or chatting.” FGD Yangon, female owners, 18-29, working, SEC B/C “I learned to use the Internet to play Clash of Clans. I hardly watch TV anymore, just play it. Even grade 6 students play it, many do. My friends say you can sell your clan in Yangon.” FGD rural, female owners, 18-29, working, SEC D/E “I don’t want to visit my rural home anymore because the Internet is bad. I wouldn’t be able to play there. Sometimes I get up in the middle of the night to play Clash of Clans.” HV Yangon, female owner, 19, non-working, SEC C “I told my husband you are just playing the game (COC) all the time but do nothing. When we tell him to babysit he is playing games.” HV Yangon, female non-owner, 36, working, SEC D/E 40. The qualitative research suggests that the ‘use’ of SMS refers to the receipt of SMS messages, mainly from operators (e.g. advertisements). Respondents don’t understand the messages (e.g. when they are received in English) and/or do not know how to reply and therefore do not send any SMS. 41. Note: These qualitative respondents were recruited specifically because they had already used the internet and/or mobile applications. 44 Source: LIRNEasia Baseline Survey, 2015 Table 6 % of mobile owners Male Female Myanmar total FOR MISSED CALLS42 80% 80% 80% FOR TEXT MESSAGING (SMS) 66% 65% 66% RECEIVING PHONE CALLS (VIA YOUR NETWORK PROVIDER, NOT ANY OTHER CALLING APPLICATION) 58% 55% 57% TAKING PHONE CALLS (VIA YOUR NETWORK PROVIDER, NOT ANY OTHER CALLING APPLICATION) 58% 54% 56% TO LISTEN TO MUSIC 53% 49% 52% TO PLAY GAMES 34% 32% 33% FOR CALLING APPLICATIONS (E.G. CALLS USING VIBER, SKYPE, ETC.) 25% 23% 24% FOR USING CHAT/INSTANT MESSAGING APPLICATIONS (E.G. WHATSAPP, WECHAT, FACEBOOK MESSENGER, LINE, ETC.) 20% 19% 20% FOR SHARING CONTENT (PICTURES/VIDEO/MUSIC, ETC.) 19% 18% 18% TO USE FACEBOOK APPLICATION (NOT THROUGH BROWSER) 18% 15% 17% TO DOWNLOAD/USE ANY OTHER MOBILE APPLICATION (‘APP’) 14% 13% 13% TO RECEIVE UPDATES, SUCH AS BREAKING NEWS UPDATES, SPORTS UPDATES, ETC. 14% 7% 11% TO WATCH ONLINE VIDEO CONTENT (STREAMING) 12% 8% 10% FOR USING THE INTERNET/WEB THROUGH A BROWSER 10% 8% 9% FOR EMAIL 6% 6% 6% FOR MOBILE MONEY (SENDING/RECEIVING TALK TIME) APPLICATIONS (NOT THROUGH BROWSER) 6% 5% 6% TO ACCESS OTHER SOCIAL NETWORKING OR BLOG APPLICATIONS (TWITTER, LINKEDIN, ORKUT, MYSPACE, ETC.) (NOT THROUGH BROWSER) 5% 5% 5% TO USE WIKIPEDIA APPLICATION (NOT THROUGH BROWSER) 4% 3% 3% TO ACCESS MOBILE MONEY OR BANKING SERVICES 2% 2% 2% 42. That is, dialling another person’s mobile and hanging up before they answer; this has been seen as a way of communicating among mobile owners in low-income settings, to avoid incurring call charges. This is also referred to as ‘beeping,’ or ‘flashing’ in other settings. 45