Guardian, The

Faster internet access has significantly weakened civic participation in Britain, according to a study that found involvement in political parties, trade unions and volunteering fell as web speeds rose. Volunteering in social care fell by more than 10 percent when people lived closer to local telecom companies' exchange hubs and so enjoyed faster web access. Involvement in political parties fell by 19 percent with every 1.8 kilometer increase in proximity to a hub.

Facebook has two benefits for businesses – not only in Africa, but for all emerging markets. The first is ease of access. The second benefit is its analytics function. Businesses can see who shares their content and how it spreads. But, for many people, Facebook is not only indispensable but unavoidable. Across Africa, Facebook is the internet. Businesses and consumers depend heavily on it because access to the app and site are free on many African telecoms networks, meaning you don’t need any phone credit to use it.