Drew Cogbill | Thesis Blog

I’m beginning to do a few informal interviews with people I’ve got to know in San Ignacio.  I’m focusing on international (/***edit 15 June) technologically facilitated communication.  I’m interested in what people are doing now to communicate with those abroad, what specific problems they see, and how they could see things being easier and better for them.  I’d appreciate any suggestions on questions you think could provoke interesting discussion or insights.

Rough questions to get me going in conversation (in no particular order):

• Do you own a cell phone?
• Do you have a land line?
• What phone do you use to call abroad?
• How often do you call the US or abroad?
• How often to you text (SMS) the US or abroad?
• Do you own a computer?
• Do you often us a computer?
• Do you use email?
• Do you use Hi5 or another social network?
• Do you contact people abroad with Hi5 or another network?
• How else do you contact people abroad?
• How long have you owned a cell phone?
• If you could either pay your cable bill or put credit on your cell phone, which would you choose?
• If you could either pay your land line bill or put credit on your cell phone which would you choose?
• How old are kids when they get their first mobile phone?
• When kids have a parent abroad, how do you think they communicate with them?
• Do you trust the phone company?

/***edit 15 June

• How do you generally communicate with people in Belize?
• Do you do anything to conserve your mobile credit?

/***edit 16 June

• Follow up “Why?” questions to all questions