Africa-On-The-Go:Africa\'s Youth Connect via MXIT

2013-05-06

With more African’s having access to a mobile than clean drinking water, and 6 million South Africans accessing the internet from their phones*, its clear that the digital revolution has exploded onto
the continent.

The Success of Mixit

Nowhere is this explosion more evident in the success of the home-grown, digital platform. A free, instant messaging application developed by Mxit Lifestyle (Pty) Ltd. in South Africa, runs on multiple mobile
and computing platforms, and according to a 2011 study by consultancy World Wide Worx, Mxit currently has about 10 million active subscribers – making it the largest mobile social network in Africa.

In fact, if all the messages sent daily were written down onto individual post-it notes and lined up next to each other, they would stretch 40 000km – TWICE around the earth! That’s a lot of mobile activity, in
anyone’s (text) book.

Born in Stellenbosch, in 2001, and initially created as a simple gaming platform, Mxit has evolved to become a unique social media phenomenon – combining games, chatrooms and free instant messaging across multiple phones and networks. Similarly to Apple, Mxit offers user the opportunity
to develop and download their own apps, through its App Showcase.

There is a serious side to Mxit too:

Mxit Reach, established in 2008, is centered around using the innovative technology built by Mxit to create free mobile educational, health care, agricultural and community applications.

One such innovation is The Angel Network, which provides ‘virtual rehab’ via Mxit. The Angel Network is a portal for South African youth in need of drug counselling, giving them access to virtual counsellors and live mobile-based advice.  Angel is available free of charge to all Mxit users and offers support and information on varying degrees of substance abuse. Reconstructed Living Lab (RLabs), creators of the portal, says 12 counsellors are available to offer support to Mxit users daily between 15h00 and 18h00.

The head of RLabs, Marlon Parker, says the aim is to be able to reach and help as many of South Africa’s youth as possible.  â€œIt makes sense to use a platform that is recognised and trusted among a very large number of South African citizens. Mxit has over 20 million users and is completely committed to helping youth, so it makes sense for this to be the home of such an important mobile initiative,” he explains.**

Currently Angel have over 40 000 subscribers with more than 1 000 of those subscribers accessing the LIVE Counselling services via their mobile phones.

Another innovative collaboration is between Mxit and Siyavula, an organistaion which supports and encourages communities of teachers to work together, openly share their teaching resources and benefit from the use of technology. Their ‘Everything Maths and Science’ open source platform allows learners to download text books via Mxit, onto their mobiles – allowing them to study anywhere, anytime, without the need to share a battered textbook.

With the youth audience fully engaged, and social and community projects at the forefront of their developer’s minds, Mxit is truly leading an African digital revolution.

*(http://www.slideshare.net/marksmithza/mobilemarketing-in-south-africa)

**(http://www.itweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=34210:virtual-rehab-onmxit)