What is mobile money and how does it work as a form of money? How is mobile money different from bank-issued money? How do social relations intertwine with mobile money networks in rural Kenya?
Mobile money is a method by which individuals send small remittances of money or digital gifts via text message. In Kenya it is a particularly successful system, as 80% of rural Kenyan households utilize the system, most commonly M-Pesa. They allow people to store money on their phone and send it without an internet connection or cell service. Unlike traditional bank-issues money, these remittances tend to be very light. Examples in the text range from $12 at the least, and $300 at the most. They are used to support household and entrepreneurial tasks, and allow women access to financial independence. E-money usually circulates within the household, but is crucial to the building of social networks. They hope that this system will allow for a cash-light society. Unlike bank-issued money they are also rarely used in large amounts. Social relations are key to the use of mobile money networks in Kenya. Remittances are usually sent to kin, circulating within a household, and are used for crises and emergencies. They create an investment in social relations. They can also help to discretely support children born out of wedlock in a family. Families also use it pool resources for so-called "investments", such as school fees or rental homes. Many have theorized that mobile money networks may give agency to women usually excluded from monetary transactions in rural Kenya, however, the authors are critical of this statement. According to them, these remittances can mask women's ability to access typical socio-economic sources, in using hand-helds, and in taking care of household needs. They were typically used for emergencies.
People living away from their families in Kenya will often send money back to their families through a remittance system called mobile money. Mobile money is a system of sending money to relatives through texting. Unlike remittances in most countries in Kenya they tend to be relatively small payments, usually in the few dollar range at the most. These small amounts of money allow someone living away from his or her family an opportunity to provide financial support. Another purpose of mobile money is to provide women with the ability to be independent with their own money and finances. Remittances sent through mobile money are in most cases typically used for things like school fees or unexpected emergencies.
Mobile money is a useful way to transfer money through a mobile network similar to text messaging. One of the largest providers of this service in Kenya is the M-Pesa by Safaricom. These mobile money networks allow for those who may not have internet or a bank account to have a way to save and send any amount of money cheaply. With these liberties in mind, it is hoped that mobile money will allow for much broader financial inclusion. The main difference between mobile money and bank issued money is that mobile money is contained to close-knit and often kin-based networks. These networks are primarily controlled by women, who send, recieve, and broker small amounts of money quite often within their network. While most other aspects of their culture is patrilineal, women dominate mobile money. With this power comes not only higher respect, but also higher responsibility. There also still lies an assumption that mobile is ruled by women out of a "intimate and private" basis of love and caring. This exists to avoid any potential threat to patrilineal dominance. However, mobile money still supports women empowerment, not only the growth of a strong and inclusive financial ecosystem. It is recorded that men often send remittances to their wives living in rural Kenya from Nairobi, where the women then distribute among their networks while also sharing aspects of their lives and futures, allowing them to build strong social bonds with one another through their small/frequent remittances.
Mobile money is a way for people to electronically send family and friends cash payments via text message. Differentiating from bank money, mobile money can be stored and held on solely cellular devices, and are able to be sent without a wireless connection. Within the nation of Kenya, mobile money is utilized by 80 percent of the country's population. It can be argued that there's very little more personal than what we do with our money. The majority of the mobile money sending in Kenya exists between family members. These more sociable forms of transaction allow families to stay informed and up to date on what their relatives are up to, and is made especially more accessible by being able to do so without internet connection. This also works as forms of remittance similarly to the batoli's we've previously read about. Generally, this is most often done from husband to wife from men who are working in different locations in Kenya. While mobile money is most commonly used among families and spouses, it can also serve as a social tie between friends. Seeing what your friends are spending their money on serves as a social form of communication by making current trends and movements visually seen. Mobile money payments are most commonly used for investments, entrepreneurial pursuits, and for cases of financial emergency. The importance of these financial needs creates a tie between senders that is the building ground for creating stronger ties among communities and family.
Mobile money is a system that allows people to transfer money on their mobile phone via text message. It is used similarly to online banking, however, unlike online banking, it doesn't require an internet connection or even a bank account, which makes it more accessible to lower economic classes. In Kenya though, the main difference between the two is social ties. Where bank-issued money and payments are impersonal, large in amounts and users and direct, mobile money is usually kept within a family or close knit group. The amounts sent back and forth are also generally smaller sums, ranging from $12-300 dollars, unlike banks which work with larger sums. Remittance payments paid through this service effect and intertwine with social ties by giving women power without potentially damaging the typically male-centric attitude of rural Kenya. By grouping money into the typically feminized categories of emotions and household duties, they give women the power to distribute the wealth and manage the social bonds of family. These remittences, typically sent home by a man working somewhere else, allow them to connect with their family back home, as well as invest in the family and create social ties.
Mobile Money is a service in Kenya that allows people to send money over their cellphone service for a small fee, enabling the transfer of small exchanges of funds from person to person over distance without the need for computer or internet access, and without the need for an account with a formal financial institution. The service also allows saving and balance holding, enabling people who would otherwise be excluded from formal institutions to save safely. The social dynamic of this system is usually that men send money to women, and young send money to old. Some families are more gender-nuetral with regards to sending, with sisters and brothers exchanging money without regard for gender. Women tend to receive more money than men, and use the service more often. The mobile money system is seen in their society as a method of 'investing in the household', helping family with the expectation of future help if needed based in the bonds of that relationship. The key benefit of mobile money over bank accounts is that the money remains in the community which benefits from it, the collective wealth of the family is managed by that family or community group.
Mobile banking refers to the exchange of money using mobile technology, which may or may not directly involve a bank. 60% of adults in Kenya do not have a bank, so mobile banking provides "financial inclusion" and allows them to transfer money to others. In Kenya, this means different things depending on one's gender and age. Men send money while women receive it, in general. Of course, sending money to relatives and people that you know very well is best. Men sending money to women who are married has been leading to the end of many marriages in Kenya. Although mobile banking has provided "financial inclusion," it is harming families and creating more of a gender divide.
For this blog, I'm going to include both an answer to the prompt, in addition to the summary I emailed. Mobile money, in the context of this piece, is a form of digital currency that uses 'air time' to credit an M-PESA account. A person can purchase this airtime, and use it as a form of currency to both send and receive. To "withdrawal" money from the account, one needs to find a participating kiosk or shop who will convert the air time into tangible cash. It's different from actual bank issued money as it's not officially a form of currency, nor is it tangible-it doesn't exist in "cash" form. Though it is tied to the Kenyan Shilling. How relationships are intertwined with this mobile money is discussed below. The paper, Social Networks of Mobile Money in Kenya, discusses the role that technology, particularly mobile phones and the apps & software that accompanies mobile technology/hardware, enables Kenyans to send & receive money, make payments, and participate in mobile banking without ever engaging in physical exchange or even being present during the transaction. More so, in a economic-anthropological sense, the article brings up the importance of relationships, and how these relationships operate and evolve under the discovery and implementation of mobile exchanges. The authors mention the “floating world” that has risen from these practices, meaning the non-tangible creation of a parallel world that enables Kenyans (or anyone, for that matter) to engage in these transactions and the accompanying relationships that form. Many Kenyans see traditional banking as having prohibitive barriers that disallow them from participating. These technologies allow them to essentially use cash, which many do have like the members of the Naitiri village mentioned on page 4, to send and receive money or “gifts” for services, products, or any exchanges. The study found that 75% of transactions through these technologies were used to send money to friends and relatives. These applications and services aren’t used as “wallets” like bank accounts are, but to quickly send and receive funds. In anticipation of engaging in these transactions, they purchase (or exchange tangible currency) for the e-money used on the programs. The study further found that a typical user only keeps around $4.00 USD on their accounts at any one time. Exchanges are quick; money is sent and received and then “withdrawn,” with the programs, which are simply used as a medium to conduct such business. These “creative practices,” as the authors label them as, shape communities and even bond them in a way. Gifts are often given or exchanged, and relationships are strengthened in doing so. Airtime, or what enables one to use the communicative parts of their mobiles, can be gifted to individuals. The text mentions that gifting airtime to a female can be seen as an intimate transaction which can strengthen a bond or relationship. It’s essentially saying you value another person’s time so much, that you are willing to pay for it to receive the communication from them. The motivation behind such acts were also explored. Altruism, self-interest, perceived obligation, and prestige were all viewed as motivating factors for sending such remittances. Like tangible gifts, these e-gifts function much the same. A hierarchy was even found to exist; there is a difference between ‘equal’ social relationships such as between cousins or friends, where a parent-to-child relationship or one of a figure in society (such as a professor, teacher, etc) to a ‘student’ is different, and as such one must act accordingly to the already built and established social arrangements in the society.
Mobile money is a form of money transfer system, through close familial ties via mobile phone text messages in Kenya. With about 80% of rural Kenyan households utilizing this system, particularly M-Pesa, mobile money has become a very viable and inclusive option for those in Kenya who don't have a bank saving account. Compared to bank-issued money, these remittences are very small quantity, usually less than the equivalent of $300 USD. These remittences are used as a way to maintain family/social relations between multiple members of a single family, and are most often used in making payments on school fees, buying food and clothing, and paying for emergency medical bills. Transferring money between family members in Kenya offers them a way of keeping in contact with their loved ones, no matter how far apart they might be, and show each other that they all stay care for the well being of each other.
Mobile money is a way to send money via a cell phone in a texting manner. Most people in Kenya use this system to send money to one another. This especially works well because many of the transactions are for small amounts. Because most people in Kenya do not have a bank account, this is a great way to send money to family members (which is typically what this system is used for) and such without directly going through a bank. The social aspect comes into play though the process. Men usually send money to their wives (and typically other family members as well) which then increases social ties with one another.
Mobile money is a beneficial way to transfer money through a mobile network comparable to text messaging. M-Pesa by Safaricom one of the largest providers of this service in Kenya. These mobile money systems give those who may not have internet or access to a bank a way to send amounts of money inexpensively. This is another form of a remittances economy wherein close family, friends, and associates send money back to countries where their families live; why they usually work in a more financially productive country. It is said men in these networks often send remittances to their wives living in rural Kenya from Nairobi. In return the women then distribute among their friends and family back home. This lets them build strong social connections with others through this process of remittances economy.
Mobile money is a method by which individuals send small remittances of money or digital gifts via text message. In Kenya it is a particularly successful system, as 80% of rural Kenyan households utilize the system, most commonly M-Pesa. They allow people to store money on their phone and send it without an internet connection or cell service. Unlike traditional bank-issues money, these remittances tend to be very light. Examples in the text range from $12 at the least, and $300 at the most. They are used to support household and entrepreneurial tasks, and allow women access to financial independence. E-money usually circulates within the household, but is crucial to the building of social networks. They hope that this system will allow for a cash-light society. Unlike bank-issued money they are also rarely used in large amounts. Social relations are key to the use of mobile money networks in Kenya. Remittances are usually sent to kin, circulating within a household, and are used for crises and emergencies. They create an investment in social relations. They can also help to discretely support children born out of wedlock in a family. Families also use it pool resources for so-called "investments", such as school fees or rental homes. Many have theorized that mobile money networks may give agency to women usually excluded from monetary transactions in rural Kenya, however, the authors are critical of this statement. According to them, these remittances can mask women's ability to access typical socio-economic sources, in using hand-helds, and in taking care of household needs. They were typically used for emergencies.
ReplyDeletePeople living away from their families in Kenya will often send money back to their families through a remittance system called mobile money. Mobile money is a system of sending money to relatives through texting. Unlike remittances in most countries in Kenya they tend to be relatively small payments, usually in the few dollar range at the most. These small amounts of money allow someone living away from his or her family an opportunity to provide financial support. Another purpose of mobile money is to provide women with the ability to be independent with their own money and finances. Remittances sent through mobile money are in most cases typically used for things like school fees or unexpected emergencies.
ReplyDeleteMobile money is a useful way to transfer money through a mobile network similar to text messaging. One of the largest providers of this service in Kenya is the M-Pesa by Safaricom. These mobile money networks allow for those who may not have internet or a bank account to have a way to save and send any amount of money cheaply. With these liberties in mind, it is hoped that mobile money will allow for much broader financial inclusion. The main difference between mobile money and bank issued money is that mobile money is contained to close-knit and often kin-based networks. These networks are primarily controlled by women, who send, recieve, and broker small amounts of money quite often within their network. While most other aspects of their culture is patrilineal, women dominate mobile money. With this power comes not only higher respect, but also higher responsibility. There also still lies an assumption that mobile is ruled by women out of a "intimate and private" basis of love and caring. This exists to avoid any potential threat to patrilineal dominance. However, mobile money still supports women empowerment, not only the growth of a strong and inclusive financial ecosystem. It is recorded that men often send remittances to their wives living in rural Kenya from Nairobi, where the women then distribute among their networks while also sharing aspects of their lives and futures, allowing them to build strong social bonds with one another through their small/frequent remittances.
ReplyDeleteMobile money is a way for people to electronically send family and friends cash payments via text message. Differentiating from bank money, mobile money can be stored and held on solely cellular devices, and are able to be sent without a wireless connection. Within the nation of Kenya, mobile money is utilized by 80 percent of the country's population. It can be argued that there's very little more personal than what we do with our money. The majority of the mobile money sending in Kenya exists between family members. These more sociable forms of transaction allow families to stay informed and up to date on what their relatives are up to, and is made especially more accessible by being able to do so without internet connection. This also works as forms of remittance similarly to the batoli's we've previously read about. Generally, this is most often done from husband to wife from men who are working in different locations in Kenya. While mobile money is most commonly used among families and spouses, it can also serve as a social tie between friends. Seeing what your friends are spending their money on serves as a social form of communication by making current trends and movements visually seen. Mobile money payments are most commonly used for investments, entrepreneurial pursuits, and for cases of financial emergency. The importance of these financial needs creates a tie between senders that is the building ground for creating stronger ties among communities and family.
ReplyDeleteMobile money is a system that allows people to transfer money on their mobile phone via text message. It is used similarly to online banking, however, unlike online banking, it doesn't require an internet connection or even a bank account, which makes it more accessible to lower economic classes. In Kenya though, the main difference between the two is social ties. Where bank-issued money and payments are impersonal, large in amounts and users and direct, mobile money is usually kept within a family or close knit group. The amounts sent back and forth are also generally smaller sums, ranging from $12-300 dollars, unlike banks which work with larger sums. Remittance payments paid through this service effect and intertwine with social ties by giving women power without potentially damaging the typically male-centric attitude of rural Kenya. By grouping money into the typically feminized categories of emotions and household duties, they give women the power to distribute the wealth and manage the social bonds of family. These remittences, typically sent home by a man working somewhere else, allow them to connect with their family back home, as well as invest in the family and create social ties.
ReplyDeleteMobile Money is a service in Kenya that allows people to send money over their cellphone service for a small fee, enabling the transfer of small exchanges of funds from person to person over distance without the need for computer or internet access, and without the need for an account with a formal financial institution. The service also allows saving and balance holding, enabling people who would otherwise be excluded from formal institutions to save safely. The social dynamic of this system is usually that men send money to women, and young send money to old. Some families are more gender-nuetral with regards to sending, with sisters and brothers exchanging money without regard for gender. Women tend to receive more money than men, and use the service more often. The mobile money system is seen in their society as a method of 'investing in the household', helping family with the expectation of future help if needed based in the bonds of that relationship. The key benefit of mobile money over bank accounts is that the money remains in the community which benefits from it, the collective wealth of the family is managed by that family or community group.
ReplyDeleteMobile banking refers to the exchange of money using mobile technology, which may or may not directly involve a bank. 60% of adults in Kenya do not have a bank, so mobile banking provides "financial inclusion" and allows them to transfer money to others. In Kenya, this means different things depending on one's gender and age. Men send money while women receive it, in general. Of course, sending money to relatives and people that you know very well is best. Men sending money to women who are married has been leading to the end of many marriages in Kenya. Although mobile banking has provided "financial inclusion," it is harming families and creating more of a gender divide.
ReplyDeleteFor this blog, I'm going to include both an answer to the prompt, in addition to the summary I emailed. Mobile money, in the context of this piece, is a form of digital currency that uses 'air time' to credit an M-PESA account. A person can purchase this airtime, and use it as a form of currency to both send and receive. To "withdrawal" money from the account, one needs to find a participating kiosk or shop who will convert the air time into tangible cash. It's different from actual bank issued money as it's not officially a form of currency, nor is it tangible-it doesn't exist in "cash" form. Though it is tied to the Kenyan Shilling. How relationships are intertwined with this mobile money is discussed below.
ReplyDeleteThe paper, Social Networks of Mobile Money in Kenya, discusses the role that technology, particularly mobile phones and the apps & software that accompanies mobile technology/hardware, enables Kenyans to send & receive money, make payments, and participate in mobile banking without ever engaging in physical exchange or even being present during the transaction. More so, in a economic-anthropological sense, the article brings up the importance of relationships, and how these relationships operate and evolve under the discovery and implementation of mobile exchanges.
The authors mention the “floating world” that has risen from these practices, meaning the non-tangible creation of a parallel world that enables Kenyans (or anyone, for that matter) to engage in these transactions and the accompanying relationships that form. Many Kenyans see traditional banking as having prohibitive barriers that disallow them from participating. These technologies allow them to essentially use cash, which many do have like the members of the Naitiri village mentioned on page 4, to send and receive money or “gifts” for services, products, or any exchanges. The study found that 75% of transactions through these technologies were used to send money to friends and relatives. These applications and services aren’t used as “wallets” like bank accounts are, but to quickly send and receive funds. In anticipation of engaging in these transactions, they purchase (or exchange tangible currency) for the e-money used on the programs. The study further found that a typical user only keeps around $4.00 USD on their accounts at any one time. Exchanges are quick; money is sent and received and then “withdrawn,” with the programs, which are simply used as a medium to conduct such business.
These “creative practices,” as the authors label them as, shape communities and even bond them in a way. Gifts are often given or exchanged, and relationships are strengthened in doing so. Airtime, or what enables one to use the communicative parts of their mobiles, can be gifted to individuals. The text mentions that gifting airtime to a female can be seen as an intimate transaction which can strengthen a bond or relationship. It’s essentially saying you value another person’s time so much, that you are willing to pay for it to receive the communication from them.
The motivation behind such acts were also explored. Altruism, self-interest, perceived obligation, and prestige were all viewed as motivating factors for sending such remittances. Like tangible gifts, these e-gifts function much the same. A hierarchy was even found to exist; there is a difference between ‘equal’ social relationships such as between cousins or friends, where a parent-to-child relationship or one of a figure in society (such as a professor, teacher, etc) to a ‘student’ is different, and as such one must act accordingly to the already built and established social arrangements in the society.
Mobile money is a form of money transfer system, through close familial ties via mobile phone text messages in Kenya. With about 80% of rural Kenyan households utilizing this system, particularly M-Pesa, mobile money has become a very viable and inclusive option for those in Kenya who don't have a bank saving account. Compared to bank-issued money, these remittences are very small quantity, usually less than the equivalent of $300 USD. These remittences are used as a way to maintain family/social relations between multiple members of a single family, and are most often used in making payments on school fees, buying food and clothing, and paying for emergency medical bills. Transferring money between family members in Kenya offers them a way of keeping in contact with their loved ones, no matter how far apart they might be, and show each other that they all stay care for the well being of each other.
ReplyDeleteMobile money is a way to send money via a cell phone in a texting manner. Most people in Kenya use this system to send money to one another. This especially works well because many of the transactions are for small amounts. Because most people in Kenya do not have a bank account, this is a great way to send money to family members (which is typically what this system is used for) and such without directly going through a bank. The social aspect comes into play though the process. Men usually send money to their wives (and typically other family members as well) which then increases social ties with one another.
ReplyDeleteMobile money is a beneficial way to transfer money through a mobile network comparable to text messaging. M-Pesa by Safaricom one of the largest providers of this service in Kenya. These mobile money systems give those who may not have internet or access to a bank a way to send amounts of money inexpensively. This is another form of a remittances economy wherein close family, friends, and associates send money back to countries where their families live; why they usually work in a more financially productive country. It is said men in these networks often send remittances to their wives living in rural Kenya from Nairobi. In return the women then distribute among their friends and family back home. This lets them build strong social connections with others through this process of remittances economy.
ReplyDelete