It is an undeniable fact that having a digital device is one issue, and participating fully online is another issue that has been troubling many Tanzanians.
Some Tanzanians are no longer able to exercise their right to participate on digital platforms due to the obstacle that has been imposed upon them. The increasing price of data packages.
Many people are unable to use the internet for a week or a month as a result of the rise in data packages, which violates their fundamental right to information access and self-expression.
I had the opportunity to talk to some people who mostly depend on the internet to run their lives, and they had this to say.
Feven Reuben, popularly known as Fevushka (dancer and video vixen of the year 2022), who uses social media to sell her performing skills, says;
Picture by Fevushka
"As a creator, the increase in the price of packages has been affecting my participation on digital platforms.
Considering that businesses use my page to advertise their business, I often use my own expenses to buy packages to share their content because they pay me low, and apart from that, I have not yet shared my own content. So, it's affecting me a lot’’.
She didn't stop there. She also mentioned the problem of downloading editing softwares, which has been a challenge for her because she needs those programs to edit the works, which means that the increase in package prices has a direct negative impact on her creativity.
"Not only that, but also, I have to download editing applications, and I can't have them because I'm afraid the bundle will run out when I haven't finished downloading, and even after downloading, I won't be able to work on those applications because the bundle is already over." Fevushka says.
Many private-sector offices installed the internet in their workplaces to boost productivity and allow their employees to be online while at work, but do those employees participate online while at home?
During the five working days, you will find and see them online, but on the weekends, you hardly ever see them. The bundle's price is the primary factor.
Someone believes that it would be wiser to get through those two days without purchasing a bundle and then be available online on Monday when he/she report to work.
Shafii Hamisi is one of the employees of the online news station, The Chanzo, who also had this to say;
"The cost of the packages affecting me a lot because most of the things I do are based on the internet. I can't buy a package because the cost is higher than before, but the only way I can do it is to use the office Wi-Fi, but I will do a lot of work compared to the beginning, when I was even able to complete my work from and at home’’. Says Shafii
Statistics from 2021 show the number of internet users in Tanzania is 29 million people, and among the 60 million people, only 26 percent own smartphones. What do we learn from these statistics?
The digital right is the right of every Tanzanian. The cost of bundles is an incentive for many to miss this basic right. Let's wake up, because digital rights are human rights.
#MtandaoNiData
#DigitalRightsTZ
Some Tanzanians are no longer able to exercise their right to participate on digital platforms due to the obstacle that has been imposed upon them. The increasing price of data packages.
Many people are unable to use the internet for a week or a month as a result of the rise in data packages, which violates their fundamental right to information access and self-expression.
I had the opportunity to talk to some people who mostly depend on the internet to run their lives, and they had this to say.
Feven Reuben, popularly known as Fevushka (dancer and video vixen of the year 2022), who uses social media to sell her performing skills, says;
Picture by Fevushka
"As a creator, the increase in the price of packages has been affecting my participation on digital platforms.
Considering that businesses use my page to advertise their business, I often use my own expenses to buy packages to share their content because they pay me low, and apart from that, I have not yet shared my own content. So, it's affecting me a lot’’.
She didn't stop there. She also mentioned the problem of downloading editing softwares, which has been a challenge for her because she needs those programs to edit the works, which means that the increase in package prices has a direct negative impact on her creativity.
"Not only that, but also, I have to download editing applications, and I can't have them because I'm afraid the bundle will run out when I haven't finished downloading, and even after downloading, I won't be able to work on those applications because the bundle is already over." Fevushka says.
Many private-sector offices installed the internet in their workplaces to boost productivity and allow their employees to be online while at work, but do those employees participate online while at home?
During the five working days, you will find and see them online, but on the weekends, you hardly ever see them. The bundle's price is the primary factor.
Someone believes that it would be wiser to get through those two days without purchasing a bundle and then be available online on Monday when he/she report to work.
Shafii Hamisi is one of the employees of the online news station, The Chanzo, who also had this to say;
"The cost of the packages affecting me a lot because most of the things I do are based on the internet. I can't buy a package because the cost is higher than before, but the only way I can do it is to use the office Wi-Fi, but I will do a lot of work compared to the beginning, when I was even able to complete my work from and at home’’. Says Shafii
Statistics from 2021 show the number of internet users in Tanzania is 29 million people, and among the 60 million people, only 26 percent own smartphones. What do we learn from these statistics?
The digital right is the right of every Tanzanian. The cost of bundles is an incentive for many to miss this basic right. Let's wake up, because digital rights are human rights.
#MtandaoNiData
#DigitalRightsTZ