Praktik Ekstraktivisme Digital oleh Vodafone di Kenya
DEMILYA JACENTHA, Suci Lestari Yuana, S.I.P.,M.I.A.
2024 | Skripsi | Ilmu Hubungan Internasional
When it comes to technological development, Kenya is one of the pioneering countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa region. In 2007, Vodafone launched a financial technology (fin-tech) application service called M-Pesa, which was created with the aim of increasing Kenyan people's access to the financial sector through digital financial services. Reflecting on the success of M-Pesa, Vodafone then released a digital loan service called M-Shwari in 2013. Vodafone's success in developing M-Pesa and M-Shwari in Kenya then sparked the development of the idea of ??"Silicon Savannah" as a localization of Silicon Valley that is located in the United States of America. Kenya is predicted to become one of the centers of global technological development, which would simultaneously serve as a manifestation of the ideas regarding reviving Africa’s greatness and the Global South as a whole. However, several academics have criticized that the world's technology and telecommunications companies tend to rely on extractive business models. Therefore, this thesis will identify how Vodafone practices digital extractivism in Kenya and explain why this practice has been able to develop rapidly in Kenya. This thesis argues that Vodafone’s business model in Kenya represents a colonialist tendency that is common among technology and telecommunications companies operating in the Global South. Written in a book chapter format, this thesis is published as a book chapter on Science, Technology, and Arts in International Relations.
Kata Kunci : Ekstraktivisme Digital, Vodafone, Kenya