Beyond the Hype: Mobile telephony and the Limits of Empowerment

Dear All,

You are warmly invited to the below event in the School of Media and Communication, which will be given by Leah Komen (Daystar University, Kenya) and Chaired by Chris Paterson. Please note that this talk will be taking place in-person and will be held in the G.12 Lecture Theatre, Clothworkers’ North Building.

Beyond the Hype: Mobile telephony and the Limits of empowerment

Date: Wednesday 11 March 2026

Time: 3:45pm – 5pm (please arrive by 3:35).

Location: G.12 Lecture Theatre, Clothworkers' North Building. All are welcome.

This talk examines the celebrated narrative of mobile telephony as a tool of empowerment in the Global South.

While mobile phones expand communication and economic opportunities, their benefits remain uneven, often reinforcing gendered, structural, and political-economic inequalities. The study emphasizes that empowerment is relational and context-dependent, requiring systemic change beyond mere access to devices. It cautions against techno-optimism, urging development communication to foreground local perspectives and interrogate the structural and corporate forces that shape what counts as empowerment.

Dr. Leah Jerop Komen is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Communication and Head of Alumni Relations at Daystar University, Kenya. She holds a PhD in New Media and Development from the University of East London, UK, as well as a Master’s in Development Communication and a Bachelor’s in Community Development from Daystar University. Her research and publications explore mobile telephony in rural Kenya, with interests spanning mobile communication, gender and power, and the socio-economic impacts of ICTs. She examines how mobile technologies are appropriated in everyday life across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Event page: https://ahc.leeds.ac.uk/events/event/3684/beyond-the-hype-mobile-telephony-and-the-limits-of-empowerment

Contact <[email protected]> for any further information.