The Digital Inequality in Brazil, 2004 – 2009: Evolution and Effects on Political Engagement

Authors

  • Rachel Reis Mourao The University of Texas at Austin
  • Charles C. Wood The University of Florida

Keywords:

Brazil, Brazil Internet, Brazil digital inequality, internet, democracy

Abstract

Results of a 2010 survey of twenty-two Latin American countries show that Brazil ranks first with respect to Internet connectivity. Analyses of national household surveys further show an increase in microcomputers and Internet access between 2004 and 2009, and a decline in the digital divide by rural-urban residence and socioeconomic status. The study also finds that the intensity of Internet use has a positive effect on the knowledge and attitudes deemed relevant to democratic governance.  

Author Biographies

Rachel Reis Mourao, The University of Texas at Austin

Rachel Reis Mourao is a third-year PhD student at the School of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin. Her areas of interest include international communications, Latin American studies, new media, and political communication. Reis Mourao received her M.A. in Latin American Studies from the University of Florida in 2012, where she specialized in international communication. 

Charles C. Wood, The University of Florida

Dr. Charles H. Wood served as Director of the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Florida from 1996–2004. He has also served on the faculty of the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte, Brazil (1975–1979), and on the faculty of the Departments of Sociology at UF (1980–1992), and the University of Texas at Austin (1992–1996). His areas of specialization include: Latin American Studies, population and the environment, demography, the sociology of development, and the comparative study of race and ethnicity. 

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Published

2015-09-03

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 1 (2015): Communication, Risks and Opportunities: Promoting internal and external dialogue on Latin America

Section

Articles