R. Sooryamoorthy is currently Professor of Sociology at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. He is a rated scientist of the National Research Foundation in South Africa and has previously taught at universities in India, Canada and Sweden. He is the author of several books on India and South Africa.

• 1. New media and the new worlds of communication; 2. The cellphone and the internet: the African communiscape; 3. The media, old and new: uses, trends and patterns; 4. Media use in South Africa; 5. The indispensability of cellphones in communication; 6. Electronic communication: access, application and uses; 7. Media, communication and social networks; 8. Social networks – structure and location; 9. Media, communication and networks.

'Empirically grounded in the latest survey data and sharp ethnographic observations, R. Sooryamoorthy presents us with a fascinating overview of the new media uses in a rapidly changing society. Broad in scope, yet rich in detail, this is essential reading for anyone interested in how South Africans connect and communicate via internet and mobile phones.' Markus S. Schulz, Vice-President for Research of the International Sociological Association