REGINOLD ROYSTON Ph.D.
Author of
Pan African Futurism
Ghana and the Paradox of Technology for Development (Univ. of California Press 2025)
Scholarship and Teaching
Aural Circuits: Soulcraft in Footwork and Azonto
Africa + Podcasting
Code & Power: An Intersectional Analysis of Web Culture
Africa + The Internet — Digital Diasporas
Areas of research:
Civic App development
Community & Technology Engagement
IT infrastructure & media in Africa
Black social media
History and Philosophy of Technology
Online Education
Black Diaspora Studies
Internet Citizenship
Internet Citizenship
Africa + The Internet
Orienting globalization from the South, we explore
the cybercultures of Africa: Points of departure are case studies in digital research in Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, and more, as well as in the contemporary African diaspora. Students critique notions of the Network Society and develop skills in digital storytelling, visual design, and online tool making.
We develop mobile app prototypes in MIT App Inventor and Balsamiq mockups, and perform data gathering via online ethnography. No prior knowledge of coding is required.
Student Mobile App prototypes
• Kupa - Soccer and Ethnic Tolerance app
• Sai States - Nigerian voting tool
[1] TODAY prototype Everyone's fighting for your attention. What about one story in the news-cycle that we can all talk about? This app curates one top story for discussion over a few hours. Here's a walk-through of our app, designed for Nigerian mobile phone users. Click the PDF for an interactive mock-up.
