Digital hinteland. A case study about the use of internet in Varzea Alegre, CE

Abstract

This research looks to encourage use of the internet and raise awareness about the social changes caused by its daily use. It is a descriptive-exploratory study with data collection conducted through questionnaires, interviews, and field research. This study was conducted in the northeastern region of Brazil, more precisely in the city of Várzea Alegre. Its aim is to map the digital inclusion among the target audience (youth and young adults) and check the number of Internet cafes in the city, access to broadband, telecenters, and other forms of digital inclusion. The results revealed that the municipality of Várzea has been increasingly undergoing the process of computerization, with an increase of knowledge of and access to the internet. Local people use mobile Internet, probably because of its low cost, as well as social networks. However, there is still very limited physical availability of equipment, which restricts the real digital inclusion, that is, the process is characterized by the lack of information literacy measures, which makes it more difficult to understand the real impact that the use of the internet can bring in the exchange of knowledge and culture.