Open AccessMapping the origin of digital inequalities: an empirical study about the city of São Paulo
Author(s) -
Fábio Senne
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
revista de direito, estado e telecomunicações
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.188
H-Index - 3
eISSN - 1984-9729
pISSN - 1984-8161
DOI - 10.26512/lstr.v11i1.24860
Subject(s) - inequality , information and communications technology , digital divide , the internet , social inequality , socioeconomic status , sample (material) , regional science , inclusion (mineral) , empirical research , digital inclusion , sociology , geography , economic geography , political science , social science , computer science , population , demography , mathematics , mathematical analysis , chemistry , chromatography , world wide web , law , statistics
Purpose – Approaches that attribute inequalities in access and use of the Internet to structural economic factors and contemplate the reproduction of individual off-line characteristics in the digital environment are predominant in the specialized literature. Recently, however, the focus has been shifting to the differences in patterns of digital inclusion according to characteristics of particular communities or territories.
Methodology/approach/design – The empirical study investigates to what extent the territory matters to explain the variability of Internet use and the existence of ICT skills. Based on a sample survey conducted in 2016, the study analyses data collected on the city of São Paulo/Brazil.
Findings – The results indicate that, in addition to socioeconomic conditions, territorial aspects are important for understanding digital inequalities. Nonetheless, it suggests that the level of territorial disaggregation must be taken into consideration when measuring the use of the Internet and ICT skills.
Practical implications – The study highlights the need for deeper theoretical and methodological considerations of social, institutional and regulatory factors that affect the scenario of online inequalities, including place-based effects of urban policies.