Social influence in mobile phone adoption: evidence from the bottom of the pyramid in emerging Asia

This article attempts to quantitatively measure the various influences on mobile phone adoption at the bottom of the pyramid (BoP) in Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Thailand. Based on an existing theoretical framework, adoption is modeled by fitting a logit model to a l...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Information technologies and international development 2011-09, Vol.7 (3), p.1
Main Authors: de Silva, Harsha, Ratnadiwakara, Dimuthu, Zainudeen, Ayesha
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Asia
Cellular telephones
Evaluation
Poverty
Social influence
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:This article attempts to quantitatively measure the various influences on mobile phone adoption at the bottom of the pyramid (BoP) in Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Thailand. Based on an existing theoretical framework, adoption is modeled by fitting a logit model to a large six-country dataset. The study finds evidence for the importance of social influence in mobile adoption in two modes: one that exerts pressure on individuals to adopt, and another that helps to generate benefits via social networks that are tied in with economic and business networks. The article elaborates on the resulting social policy implications for using mobile telephone services to fight poverty at the BoP in these and similar countries.
ISSN:1544-7529