Informal Information Networks
September 18, 2024
Out in the savanna, our safari vehicle bounced along a dusty trail when, suddenly, our driver’s radio crackled to life. A quick exchange in Swahili, a laugh from the driver, and we sped off toward a new location. Another driver had just spotted a herd of elephants, and within minutes, we were there to witness it too.
I’m so used to opening an app, refreshing a map, or checking a feed to get information that I was kind of awe-struck at how differently this world worked. Here, in the heart of Masai Mara, information flowed through an informal network of safari drivers, communicating in real-time via their radios, trading tips about where to find animals and sharing bits of news as they went about their day.
I forgot how much of the world is still built on these kinds of informal, person-to-person (P2P) networks. It reminded me that long before Uber or Lyft transformed ride-hailing, taxi drivers had their own ways of managing demand. In “Confessions of a New York Taxi Driver”, Eugene Salomon talks about how taxi drivers would share tips and exchange information to help each other get the most out of their rides.
The same was true in the world of finance—before Bloomberg terminals, alternative data, and high-frequency trading (HFT), traders relied on phone calls to figure out what was happening on the street. Deals were made or broken through real-time conversations, where information flowed based on who you knew and what you heard. I’m reminded of the vivid scene from “Liar’s Poker”, where traders huddled under their desks, phones pressed to their ears, trying to get any edge they could.
The safari drivers gave me a glimpse of how this kind of network still thrives today. They weren't just sharing data; they were connected by relationships. Listening to them on the radio, I couldn’t understand the Swahili, but it was obvious they were doing more than exchanging location updates. There was laughter, jokes, and camaraderie flowing through the airwaves. When two vehicles passed each other on the road, the drivers always stopped to chat, laughter continuing to flow.
It made me think about what we lose in the age of the internet. Technology has made accessing information faster and more convenient, but it also strips away some of the human connection that comes with informal networks. I imagine it would be a lot less exciting if, instead of calling each other on the radio, drivers were simply updating a pin on an app with the latest sighting.
These drivers’ radios offered more than just an inside look at where the animals were that day. They offered a glimpse into how the world really works—on a foundation of human interaction, relationships, and spontaneous information sharing. There’s something deeply valuable in these grassroots, informal networks that can’t always be replicated by even the most efficient apps.