Mapping the global Twitter heartbeat

par IJNet
30 oct 2018 dans Journalism Basics

A geographical study of tweets, mobile communication in the Pacific Islands and Internet connectivity in Africa are featured in this week’s Digital Media Mash Up, produced by the Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA).

Here are IJNet’s picks from this week’s stories:

Mapping the global Twitter heartbeat: the geography of Twitter

Between October and November, researchers analyzed the GPS data from 1.5 billion tweets from more than 71 million users. They found that the most geo-referenced cities were Jakarta, New York City, São Paulo and Kuala Lampur, and that only around 2 percent of tweets in English reference geographic location. They also found that the average tweet consists of 9.4 words and 74 characters. Journalist’s Resource

Modem to improve Internet access in Africa

With the hopes of fomenting a “hardware revolution,” Kenyan tech firm Ushahidi has introduced new technology that will offer a range of connectivity options, including wifi, 3G and fixed broadband, from minute to minute. Because connectivity is such a problem in Africa, the new technology will act as a cell phone does, switching from one connection to another if one is down. BBC News

An information-communication revolution in the Pacific

For those in the Pacific Islands, access to mobile phone communication has brought not only lower cell phone prices, but an increase in jobs. More than 30,000 jobs have been created because of the new technology, and broadband connections on these islands are the next goal. The World Bank

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Image courtesy of eldh with a Creative Commons license.