Cell Phones Could Help Millions in Developing Countries To Read
A UNESCO study released Wednesday says that hundreds of thousands of people in developing countries are using their mobile phones to read, suggesting that mobile technology could help tackle illiteracy and boost access to educational and reading material. The report found a "revolution" in reading habits in developing countries, where books can be scarce but cellphones are not. The UN estimates that some 6 billion people have cell phonesmore than the number of people with access to toiletsand technology that compresses data can help mobile phone users with even basic phones cheaply access books and stories. The reportwhich touts itself as the first ever study of mobile readers in developing countrieswas jointly conducted with Nokia and the nonprofit Worldreader, which works to distribute digital book content around the world. More than 4,000 Worldreader users in Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan and Zimbabwe were surveyed on their reading habits. Overall, 62 percent of respondents said they are reading more as a result of mobile reading. More than 10 of respondents said their primary reason for reading on their phone was because it was more affordable than reading in print and another 9 said it was because they don't otherwise have access to books or stories. The report heralded mobile reading as a potential way to empower women in countries where they may face cultural or social impediments to accessing books. While the majority of mobile readers are male, according to the survey, female respondents read nearly six times as much as men. "How do we bring text to the unreached?" the report asks. "The answer  at least in the immediate term  is mobile devices, and more precisely mobile phones."