Digital development imaginaries, informal business practices and the platformisation of digital technology in Zambia

Digital technology is not only treated as a crucial growth sector but is also seen as a means to transform business. Drawing on research with market vendors in Lusaka, Zambia, this chapter argues that trust and social capital remain crucial in informal business practices and are essential preconditions to the potential scaling up of business networks enabled by social media. Furthermore, it is crucial to analytically situate the role of digital technology in Africa within the wider context of the ‘platformisation’ of the internet which violates net neutrality and raises concerns about Africa’s growing datafication and threats to privacy.