Browsing ‘ruining social skills’

Riding public transport vehicles is no longer exciting to Nairobi resident David Njigi, who is not happy about a new habit people have acquired.

“Most commuters browse the Internet,” he complained last week. “As soon as you enter a vehicle, people remove their smartphones and start browsing.”

Initially, Njigi noted that passengers would interact as the matatu snaked its way through traffic jams. By the time you reached your destination, you would have made a new friend or business contact.

“I have had business opportunities through interactions with people in matatus. This cannot happen if people are glued to their cell phones,” said the accountant.

Mobile phones are quickly killing social skills as Kenyans turn browsing into a pastime.

In the streets of Nairobi and other towns, you will spot people walking while texting or chatting on their smartphones with friends on social media.

In hotels, eateries, coffee shops, banking halls, and hospitals, things are not any different. The youth, especially, do not idle or read books or newspapers; they browse.

“Many people now spend most of their time on mobile phones. How do you take a friend on a date, then spend most of the time on the phone?” asked Njigi.

Ever-growing number

The rising popularity of the Internet is seen in the ever-growing number of subscribers and users of the service.

By last September, the estimated number of Internet users was 19.1 million, down from 19.6 million, according to the Communications Commission of Kenya, CCK, (which is set to be rebranded the Communications Authority of Kenya, CAK).

However, this was not a decline in the number of Internet users — the figures went down due to revision of Kenya’s overall population.

The population jumped to 40.7 million, up from 39.5 million, said CCK in a report released in January.

Internet subscriptions during the period stood at 11.6 million. CCK notes that Internet usage in Kenya, 99 per cent of which is via mobile phones, is vibrant and growing.

“We are growing fast in Internet usage and we have started paying a high price — social interactions are being reduced,” said Njigi.

“At events, including church services and weddings, instead of people listening to sermons or speeches, they compete to post what is taking place on social media — mainly Facebook and Twitter,” he said.

Some Kenyans even endanger their lives by chatting on social media as they walk on the streets or drive.

“A man was almost knocked down by a vehicle while browsing,” recounts university student Victoria Sawe.

Bernard Mwaso, a software developer in Nairobi, attributes the trend to two things: Social media and a drop in data charges.

“Twitter and Facebook have attracted millions of people, especially the youth, to the Internet,” he said.

“Internet charges are so ridiculously low that people do not even feel the pain of staying online for hours. One can browse for $0.12 a day,” he said.

In a survey released last month on Internet use, Consumer Insight found that up to $26 million (Sh2.15 billion) is spent annually to purchase data bundles to access social media sites.

The survey showed that 87 per cent of Kenya’s youth use the Internet to access social media, 57 per cent to download music and 55 per cent to send email.

Addiction to the Internet is a blessing to mobile phone service providers, with Safaricom, which controls 73.2 per cent of the Internet market, reaping $50 million (Sh4.3 billion) from data services in its half-year results last year.