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`I have great desires to look beyond my world': trajectories of information and communication technology use among Ghanaians living abroad

University of California-Berkeley, USA, jenna{at}ischool.berkeley.edu

Ken Anderson

Intel Corporation, USA, ken.anderson{at}intel.com

Using an ethnographic approach, this study sought to understand how the personal aspirations and social landscapes of Ghanaians living in London shaped their use of a constellation of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) such as camcorders, digital cameras, the internet and mobile phones. Two trajectories of ICT use were discovered among the individuals interviewed. One trajectory fit with the expected transnational practices of cultural continuity and `looking homeward'. This was evident in the way that ICTs such as camcorders supplemented or were incorporated into Ghanaian social events held in London. A second trajectory was evident when Ghanaians enrolled the internet in attempts to realize migratory aspirations, using it to explore the world, broadly searching for opportunities, information, contacts and new ideas. The use of the internet for these exploratory activities revealed how ICTs are relevant to the migration experience beyond attempts to maintain a connection with the homeland.

Key Words: Accra • ethnography • Ghana • information and communication technologies • internet • London • transnationalism • United Kingdom

New Media & Society, Vol. 10, No. 2, 203-224 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/1461444807086472


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