Stuart Tiffen

Beeping: a low-tech/high-tech solution to communication

It’s not unlike binary code.  Beeping is the practice, widespread in the developing world, of placing deliberately missed calls.  The main point is of course that missed calls are free.  You don’t pay unless there’s a connection made.  So the “beeper” makes the call, lets the phone ring once, and then hangs up.

These missed calls have various uses and meanings, depending on the nature of the relationship or understanding between the beeper and the beepee.

In his article in the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communicatin from 2007, Jonathon Donner writes at length about the practice: The Rules of Beeping: Exchanging Messages Via Intentional “Missed Calls” on Mobile Phones

He sees beeping “both as a simple strategy to redistribute telecommunications costs and as a form of code which, intentionally or not, serves to strengthen relationships and reinforce social norms.”

Beeps can be for three major purposes: Callback beeps (based on the “richer guy calls back” social contract), Pre-negotiated Instrumental Beeps (I am off work) and what Donner calls Relational beeps -

Some users send another kind of beep, expecting no reply or action on the part of the recipient. Nkrumah-Boateng writes:

Sometimes, very much like a rhetorical question, one is not supposed to call back after receiving a flash. This is where the sole purpose of flashing someone is just to say ‘hello, how are you doing?,’ or ‘goodnight.’ The idea, apparently, is to communicate without spending units to call or send a text message. This appears to be a common trend on the university campuses and among the youth. (2004, n.p.)

Filicien, a university student, compared these beeps to waving. His classmate Nicole added, “Sometimes I just scan through the mobile phone book and see who I have not seen in a while and beep them. Sometimes they call back, but I don’t expect it.”

The article is a good read and paints an interesting picture of access to the technology that can be taken for granted in places like Europe and the US.  Granted, the technology infrastructure is beginning to spread out in the developing world also, but the cost of living simply doesn’t allow for its use.

In places like South Africa about a quarter of the population live on less than US$ 1.25 a day according to Wikipedia,  which couldn’t even provide for enough fans to fill the $9 seats at the recent Confederations cup.

In Rwanda outgoing calls in 2004 cost a minimum of $.20 per minute, text messages, roughly $.10. Most users pre-purchased credit in increments of $2, $5, or $10. In addition, all Rwandan prepay users purchased “access” on a monthly basis for approximately $2.50, which represents the minimum outlay per month for the privilege of sending beeps and receiving calls. Skillful beepers can stretch that $2.50 quite far.

Patrick Philippe Meier also refers to Beeping as a good alternative practice to avoid the overly-scrutinous eyes of a repressive regime in his excellent blog post on iRevolution, How to Communicate Securely in Oppressive Environments.

Ultimately, as mobile telephony hardware gets cheaper and more widespread it is likely the practice of beeping will continue apace.

Tags: beeping, communication, Confederations Cup, developing world, Jonathon Donner, missed calls, South Africa