USE OF MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY FIGURE 2 PERCENTAGE OF MON STATE RESPONDENTS WHO OWN A MOBILE PHONE DO YOU HAVE A MOBILE PHONE SERVICE IN YOUR AREA? 100% URBAN 94% 92% 94% RURAL NON-CONFLICT CONFLICT 94% TOTAL SAMPLE DO YOU HAVE ACESS TO THE MOBILE PHONE OF SOMEONE CLOSE TO YOU OR A RELATIVE? 57% 53% URBAN RURAL 54% 52% NON-CONFLICT CONFLICT 42% TOTAL SAMPLE DO YOU HAVE A MOBILE PHONE? 47% 15% URBAN 22% 12% RURAL NON-CONFLICT CONFLICT 21% TOTAL SAMPLE Many observers see in Myanmar the promise of countries such as Kenya, where mobile phone use first leap-frogged rapidly over landline infrastructure and then made possible inexpensive internet access, resulting in one of the most vibrant and innovative landscapes for mobile and social media use in the world. However, the possibility of a dramatic increase in mobile phone ownership or access in Myanmar does not give a complete picture of potential information access or flow in the country. Most respondents in the Mon State study currently use their phones almost exclusively for making phone calls. SMS usage is low and only 2% of mobile phone users use their phones to access the Internet. ago when mobile phone ownership even in Yangon was confined to a tiny elite, is due to a significant drop in the price not only of mobile phones but also SIM cards. Five years ago a mobile phone cost over $300, and until very recently SIM cards not only cost $150 but expired after a short period of time. Despite the fact that the cost of mobile access in Myanmar at the time of this research was still high relative to income, in Mon State the research revealed that nearly half of all urban Mon State respondents have a mobile phone. 77% of respondents who did not use a mobile phone said the reason was because they could not afford to buy one. This suggests the potential for near universal future use when costs fall and mobile coverage is extended across the country. Telecoms license-winner Telenor plans to build a mobile network in Myanmar with nationwide coverage within five years. The rapid uptake of mobile phones in Myanmar in the near future holds both positive and disruptive potential, decreasing information asymmetries and increasing connectivity, but also enabling increased capability for mobilization and protest should current reforms begin to regress. The lowest mobile penetration rates were in rural or former conflict areas. As shown in Figure 2, although only 21% of the total sample personally owned a mobile phone, at least half of respondents in each geographic location had access to a mobile phone through a close friend or relative. Furthermore, nearly all respondents had access to a mobile phone service in their community. This access often takes the form of individuals or small businesses that rent the use of a personal mobile phone on a pay-per-minute basis. Some rural communities may share one or two mobile phones between an entire village. Even this is expensive, yet ownership is significant – indicating the importance that citizens place on mobile phones, and indicative of potential uptake as prices reduce. Access in former conflict areas appeared to vary by village. One respondent mentioned that her village had around 20 mobile phones, so villagers no longer had to wait to use the phone of just one person, as was the case a few years ago. Another respondent mentioned that despite poor connectivity and low signal strength in their village, people had already purchased phones with the hope that connectivity would improve soon. Internet Awareness Low Half the Population of Mon State Doesn’t Know What The Internet Is Internet use remains strikingly low in Mon State. Just 2% of the entire sample—nine out of 500 respondents— had ever used the Internet. The low rate of Internet use in Mon State is comparable to that of Myanmar as a whole. According to World Bank data, just 1% of Myanmar’s population used the Internet in 2012.18 There can be few places in the world where almost half the population does not know what the internet is. This baseline can be expected to change dramatically in the next few years. However, in the short term, lack of knowledge or familiarity with the Internet remains a high barrier to use in Mon State (Figure 3). Of the 98% of Mon State respondents who had never used the Internet, the most frequent reason for not using the Internet was because respondents did not know what the Internet was. This was highest among rural respondents (46%). The most frequent response among urban respondents was a lack of knowledge of how to use the Internet (47%). 18 The World Bank, World Development Indicators (Washington, D.C.: The World Bank, 2011). 26 INFORMATION ECOSYSTEMS in transition: a case study from myanmar part one: rese arch findings FIGURE 3 WHAT IS THE MAIN REASON YOU DO NOT USE THE INTERNET? DON’T KNOW WHAT THE INTERNET IS 42% DON’T KNOW HOW TO USE THE INTERNET 31% HAVE NO INTEREST IN THE INTERNET 11% NO INTERNET SERVICE IN MY AREA 9% CAN’T AFFORD TO ACCESS THE INTERNET 5% DON’T KNOW 1% CAN’T READ 1% DON’T TRUST THE INTERNET 0% BASE: 491 RESPONDENTS WHO DO NOT USE THE INTERNET have never used the ““IInternet. I have heard about the Internet on the radio and in journals, and from other people too. I have heard that information about our country can be shared all over the world when it is shared on the Internet.” R ura l r e s p o n d e n t, M o k e kamaw V i l l a g e , K yaik H t o T o w n s hi p 27 how to inform, empower, and impact communities INFORMATION ECOSYSTEMS in transition: a case study from myanmar how to inform, empower, and impact communities PART ONE: RESEARCH FINDINGS