Mobile Instant Messaging and Sociability

The mobile communication technological revolution that has occurred in the last couple of years has impacted on the daily lives of people around the globe. Emerging out of this innovation is the issue of instant mobile communication platforms which have become ingrained in the lives of most people in our contemporary society. This study examines the nexus between Instant Message (IM) appropriation and sociability among the youth in Ghana. Inquiry was made into the impacts on their social interactions as well as the motives and scope for appropriation. Locating our measurement on connectedness, sociability, and interactivity, through the Uses-and-Gratifications theoretical lens, empirical data were received from an explorative study of three cities in Ghana. The study shows that mobile IM appropriations are impacting both positively and negatively on the youth. The study speculates on implications as well as concerns for future trends in new media practices as well as offers propositions on awareness as well as policy procedures on this phenomenon in Ghana and in other developing countries that find themselves in a similar situation.