Using a minimal amount of airtime, users can build and maintain profiles, join chat groups and access bursary and scholarship information. Page view casts 2 - 5 cents and less than 25 cents for downloading data, depending on the mobile operator and individual service plan.
Speaking at the product launch and media preview of MYMsta, loveLife media director Refilwe Africa said, “The call to young people is to Make Your Move build personal initiative, strengthen their ability to negotiate day-today pressures and expectations and find new links to opportunities. Given the extensive ownership of cellphones in this country, up to 75% of young people (15-24 years) have [their] own cellphones.
“Social networking behaviour plays directly into the three key triggers to behaviour change - sense of identity, belonging and purpose. Users define their identity by creating personal profiles with photos, video and text they can also develop communities by connecting to like-minded individuals through forums,” said Africa.
The programme has been integrated into loveLife's on the ground and media programmes. According to loveLife, in coming up with the social network strategy, it used available statistics which showed that there are over 38 million cell phone users in South Africa. Only 6% of the country's population has access to the Internet via computer.
The high levels of WAP browsing activity is likely due to the number of easily accessible WAP portals available to consumers. And, Vodacom's drive to enable GPRS on as many handsets as possible by 2010 is further creating growth in the WAP market.
“Young people are more likely to protect themselves if they have a strong sense of identity, belonging and purpose in life. A mobile social network will not replace face to face interaction but it offers young people a new way of defining themselves and connecting to each other,” said Dr David Harrison, the CEO of loveLive.
loveLife partnered with a US native Trina DasGpta, a new media and youth marketing consultant, and Cape Town-based wireless application service provider CellSmart Technologies for the project.
