Mike Stopforth

* This article was originally published in my Citizen column on 4 Aug 2006 [Link].

If your home is blessed with humans crossing the chasm from childhood to adulthood and you have not yet heard of MXit, you’re not paying enough attention!

MXit is a clever piece of technology developed by local firm Clockspeed that allows its users to connect and chat with each other using their mobile phones.

The application is free for download off the MXit website. It will cost your kid zilch to use MXit to chat to her fellow MXit users, other than the GPRS or 3G connection over which the messages are sent and received, but if they want to access MXit’s “entertainment” features (chat rooms, etc) they’ll need to purchase “moola”, the standard currency on the MXit network. Moola is purchased using SMS – R2 > 100 moola. Consequently, MXit is very attractive to young users because it costs practically nothing compared to SMS messages or voice calls.

MXit has enjoyed phenomenal growth and success since launching in May 2005, having just announced 1 000 000 participating users. They report roughly 10 000 new users being added to the network each day (more on these stats at Rafiq’s site). The business model is built on moola purchases and advertising, which is displayed on a flash page as users load the application on their phones.

But like any chat application or social networking tool, MXit can have a dark side and parents need to be wary of the realities of a progressive, tech-savvy youth culture like MXit’s user base.

Firstly, it can be addictive. It is not unusual to find MXit users chatting actively into the early hours of the morning, most likely behind closed bedroom doors; cellphones are far easier to conceal than computers!

Another obvious and more serious concern is that of naïve MXit users who could fall prey to unscrupulous participants on the network. As with MySpace.com, another phenomenally popular teen networking site, MXit will have its fair share of dodgy characters if it doesn’t already. It is important that parents educate themselves to the possible dangers.

Preventing usage won’t help – forbidden fruit always tastes better. Rather have a respectful and open conversation with your kids about their involvement and how you can assist them get the most out of this exciting technical age, safely.

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