From Kinship to Link‐up

On the basis of lists of numbers saved on individuals cell phones and other evidence, it is argued here that lowincome Jamaicans use the cell phone to establish extensive networks, a practice identified as linkup. Linkup has many of the same characteristics as those found by R. T. Smith in a classic study of Jamaican kinship and genealogy. However, the new evidence suggests that kinship merely exemplifies a pattern that may be found in a wider range of Jamaican networking strategies including the creation of spiritual and church communities, the search for sexual partners, and the coping strategies adopted by lowincome households. Linkup also accounts for the rapid adoption of cell phones and the patterns of their use by lowincome Jamaicans and highlights the importance of understanding the local incorporation of cell phones and local forms of networking enacted through new communication technologies.