"Si bien las cifras de acceso y uso de las TIC han mejorado progresivamente, están lejos de ser óptimas. Lo mismo pasa con las relacionadas con la conectividad. De cualquier forma, lo más preocupante en ambos casos es la diferencia que existe entre las cabeceras municipales y los centros poblados
...
y las zonas rurales. La brecha es grande y parece estar lejos de cerrarse, a pesar de los esfuerzos que el Gobierno y otros actores han hecho en este sentido. Las barreras geográficas, sociales y económicas siguen siendo difíciles de atajar, por lo que hay pendientes en distintos frentes. La lucha contra la desigualdad y el desarrollo de la infraestructura son sólo algunos de ellos. En 2021 el porcentaje de hogares a nivel nacional que poseía algún tipo de televisor era de 89.5 %. En cuanto a la infraestructura para recibir servicios de televisión, las cifras variaron dependiendo de la zona. Por ejemplo, la televisión por cable fue la más usada en las cabeceras municipales, mientras que la televisión abierta fue la más usada en los centros poblados y zonas rurales. Para ese mismo periodo, el porcentaje de hogares que poseía computador de escritorio, portátil o tableta fue de 37.9 % y el porcentaje de personas que tenía teléfono celular de cualquier tipo era de 76.3 %. En cuanto a la conectividad, el 60.5 % del total nacional de hogares poseía conexión fija a Internet, con mayor proporción en las cabeceras. Sin embargo, esta relación se invirtió en las áreas rurales, donde la conexión móvil, a la que un 75 % de la población total tenía acceso, fue más popular. En cuanto a operadores de Internet fijo, el mercado lo domina Claro, seguido de Tigo y Movistar. Con respecto a operadores de Internet móvil, el mercado también lo domina Claro y le siguen Movistar y Tigo. Ahora bien, dentro del total de personas que utilizaron Internet, el dispositivo através del cual se reportó mayor acceso a este servicio es el teléfono celular con 93.9 %. De los usuarios de Internet entre 16 a 64 años que usan plataformas de redes sociales, el 94 % del universo analizado por el estudio We Are Social utilizó WhatsApp, seguido muy de cerca por Facebook con un 91.7 % e Instagram con un 84.4 %, todas pertenecientes al conglomerado Meta. En cuanto al alcance de la audiencia potencial de los medios sociales digitales conectados, Facebook llevó la delantera, seguido de YouTube e Instagram. Sobre lo relacionado con motores de búsqueda, sin importar la tecnología de hardware que se emplee, Google se ubicó en el primer lugar con una concentración del 97,19 % del total de usuarios que realizó búsquedas en Internet. Como se ve, hay compañías con gran dominio en el mercado y, aunque existe la sensación de variedad, lo cierto es que no es así.
Por otro lado, aunque el país está más conectado que antes y los ciudadanos tienen más opciones que antes para consumir información, los medios no la tienen fácil. Aparte de las tensiones por la pauta publicitaria, que se han visto exacerbadas por el rol de conglomerados como Meta y Google, tienen más competencia y, en muchos sentidos, más obstáculos que antes. Sortear estos retos adecuadamente es clave y está estrechamente ligado con su capacidad de mantenerse a flote económicamente y de ganarse o recuperar la confianza del público, especialmente en momentos donde la desinformación y las noticias falsas son el pan de cada día." (Conclusiones, página 20-21)
more
"The past decades have seen efforts to increase digital inclusion for women worldwide, with the ultimate aim to advance gender equality. However, progress is slow, despite important advances in moving beyond a focus on ‘digital access’ (as measured by network coverage and hardware) towards a mor
...
e holistic understanding of inclusion that considers abilities, awareness and agency. Here, we propose a further theoretical shift that draws on social system theories (e.g., Luhmann, 1984) and on the theory of ‘intersecting inequalities’ (Kabeer, 2010). We propose to understand the gender digital gap, particularly in mobile and internet usage, not merely descriptively but dynamically – since even factors like agency and awareness change over time – by applying concepts of feedback loops, low-equilibrium traps, multi-dimensional exclusion and systems analysis. This paper highlights how women may become locked in a state of low-inclusion unless the feedback loops between digital, social, economic and political exclusion are addressed through policies that tackle multiple dimensions. The paper reviews research on gender digital gaps with particular focus on developing countries, and with direct implications for policy-making." (Abstract)
more
"[...] This publication provides an overview of the state of digital connectivity in Least Developed Countries (LDCs), drawing on the data from ITU’s flagship publication Facts and Figures 2022. Since the Fourth United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries in 2011, progress has been made
...
in terms of connectivity in the LDCs. The share of the population in LDCs using the Internet increased almost ten-fold to reach 36 per cent. Accessing the Internet has become cheaper and easier and mobile broadband has gone from being non-existent to being ubiquitous. But progress has been from a very low base and so much remains to be done. SDG Target 9.c called for closing the access gap in the LDCs by 2020. Yet, three years past this deadline, almost one fifth of the population cannot even access the Internet. Among those who can access, many do not, because of multiple barriers, ranging from awareness to skills and costs. Over the past decade, the connectivity challenge has become more complex and demanding. Bringing everyone online is no longer enough. Meaningful connectivity – the possibility to enjoy a safe, satisfying, enriching, productive and affordable online experience – is the new imperative. For LDCs, this remains a major challenge. The digital divide between LDCs and the rest of the world shows little sign of narrowing. The risk is all too evident. As the world becomes increasingly adept at leveraging the Internet for value creation, LDCs risk falling further behind." (Foreword)
more
"Although the figures for access and use of ICT have gradually improved in Colombia, the situation is far from optimal. The same goes for connectivity. The most concerning aspect overall is the difference between urban centers and rural areas. The gap is significant and seems to be far from closing,
...
despite the efforts made by the government and other actors to narrow this gap. Geographic, social, and economic barriers continue to be difficult to tackle. In 2021, the percentage of households nationwide that owned some type of television was 89.5%. As for the infrastructure to receive television services, the figures varied depending on the area. For example, cable television was the most used in municipal capitals, while free-to-air television was most used in rural areas. The same year, the percentage of households that owned a desktop computer, laptop, or tablet was 37.9%, and the percentage of people who had a cell phone of any type was 76.3%. As for connectivity, 60.5% of the total national households had fixed internet connection, with a higher proportion in large cities. In rural areas, mobile connection, which 75% of the total population have access to, is more popular. As for fixed Internet operators, the market is dominated by Claro, followed by Tigo and Movistar. Regarding mobile internet suppliers, the market is also dominated by Claro, followed by Movistar and Tigo. Among internet users, the device most used to get online access is the cellphone with 93.9%. WhatsApp is the most popular social media platform with 94% of internet users, followed very closely by Facebook with 91.7% and Instagram with 84.4%, all belonging to the Meta conglomerate. Google leads in the search engine market with more than 97% of all users who performed searches on the internet. Thus, although the internet seems to be a diverse market, the truth is that it is not so. On the other hand, although the country is more connected than ever before and citizens have more options to consume information, the media do not have it easy. Apart from tensions over advertising revenue, which have been exacerbated by the growing power of conglomerates like Meta and Google, they face more competition and, in many ways, more obstacles than before. Successfully overcoming those challenges is key and depends on their ability to stay afloat economically and to earn or regain the public's trust, especially in times when disinformation and fake news are everyday realities." (Conclusions, page 16)
more
"This article addresses the multifaceted and far-reaching implications of digital inequality (DI), drawing upon emerging trends and examples. The aim is to sensitize policymakers, practitioners, and academics to issues surrounding DI and foster a common and deeper understanding among relevant stakeh
...
olders. While research has recognized digital inequality and its dimensions, it has not explicated its broader impact thoroughly, particularly in the current era of digital transformation. The information communication technology (ICT) domain has evolved significantly because of its strong interrelationship with many other sectors, encompassing critical issues such as ethics, inequality, leadership, social capital, governance, and management. There is still a considerable gap in understanding the complexities around digital inequality, which varies across different contexts. Reflecting on over 15 years of experience in information communication technology for development (ICT4D) as both a practitioner and researcher, the evolution of DI in terms of social transformation and its growing short- and long-term implications are discussed. Strategies and pathways for the future are presented, grouped into six areas: a call for a renewed philosophical shift and campaign for digital equality, policy interventions, inclusive technology solutions and services, holistic human capacity building, the universities' role, and the need for a multi-disciplinary approach to address DI." (Abstract)
more
"This document is a detailed report of best practices for the digital inclusion of speakers of endangered Indigenous languages. The proclamation of the period between 2022 and 2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (IDIL 2022-2032), as per Resolution A/RES/74/135 from United Nation
...
s General Assembly, shines a spotlight on the issue and invites the world to pay more attention to the critical and fragile situation of many Indigenous languages. This document aims to provide a blueprint for the addition of Indigenous languages into software in order to aid digital inclusion efforts, and to provide a set of recommended steps to follow in order to successfully achieve it. As new generations of Indigenous people increase their literacy and use of technology, it is crucial that they are able to use their native language in digital formats to avoid the endangerment and loss of language. With the main goals of promoting the written form of a language in a natural vehicle such as technology, bringing awareness to the endangered Indigenous languages and working towards their survival, Motorola has open-sourced over 800,000 translated Indigenous words as of April 2023 through its official website, enabling other OEMs and companies to promote the languages through their interfaces and paving the way for broader use and revitalization efforts." (Introduction)
more
"The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) place great emphasis on inequalities and pledge to leave no-one behind. For the field of digital development, this objective presents a particular challenge. While digital technologies can be utilized to reduce certain inequalities, they ar
...
e also linked to reproductive mechanisms, reinforcing existing inequalities. In the context of an increasing digitalization of development, particular attention must therefore be paid to the link between digital inequalities and the quest to leave noone behind. This article analyses the integration of intersectional inequalities in the SDG framework and the resulting need for coherent policies, and demonstrates the parallels between this challenge and the reproductive nature of digital inequalities. On this basis, we argue that the issue of digital inequalities should be mainstreamed in development programming in order to avoid worsening existing inequalities through digital development. Moreover, we discuss recommendations for a potential post-2030 agenda succeeding the SDGs." (Abstract)
more
"This is the final report in Pollicy's three-part series on African Women in AI. Launched in 2021, this project frames analysis of the state of artificial intelligence (AI) in Africa through a gender lens by exploring the impact of AI on women. This project emerged out of the need to fill the visibl
...
e gap in conversations surrounding the impact of AI in Africa on women and promoting the inclusion and representation of African women and the associated challenges." (Executive summary)
more
"International contributors assess a variety of key contexts that impact access to digital technologies, including contextual variations related to geography and infrastructure, as well as individual differences related to age, income, health and disability status. Chapters explore how variations em
...
erge across the life course, illustrating the effects of digital disparities on personal wellbeing. Intervening in critical debates relating to the digital divide, this Handbook offers key insights into privacy and trust issues that affect technological usage." (Publisher description)
more
"This article addresses the multifaceted and far-reaching implications of digital inequality (DI), drawing upon emerging trends and examples. The aim is to sensitize policymakers, practitioners, and academics to issues surrounding DI and foster a common and deeper understanding among relevant stakeh
...
olders. While research has recognized digital inequality and its dimensions, it has not explicated its broader impact thoroughly, particularly in the current era of digital transformation. The information communication technology (ICT) domain has evolved significantly because of its strong interrelationship with many other sectors, encompassing critical issues such as ethics, inequality, leadership, social capital, governance, and management. There is still a considerable gap in understanding the complexities around digital inequality, which varies across different contexts. Reflecting on over 15 years of experience in information communication technology for development (ICT4D) as both a practitioner and researcher, the evolution of DI in terms of social transformation and its growing short- and long-term implications are discussed. Strategies and pathways for the future are presented, grouped into six areas: a call for a renewed philosophical shift and campaign for digital equality, policy interventions, inclusive technology solutionsand services, holistic human capacity building, the universities' role, and the need for a multi-disciplinary approach to address DI." (Abstract)
more
"The stories that make up this text offer an approach to the resistances and resiliencies that have arisen in Mexico, covering different manifestations of digital violence in the voices of people representing initiatives and communities that have been victimized through technologies that the state h
...
as used to persecute those who defend human rights or seek justice in our country. Through these experiences in common, we hope that more people will have access to the information that we, as members of organized civil society, share with each other to generate impact and accompaniment strategies. We hope that these experiences will inspire other projects that will allow us to confront this violence and transform the structures that govern us. In the following pages, we will share stories of abuse, dispossession and repression, but we will also share testimonies of dignity and resistance. In a country where impunity has been normalized in the face of the sociopolitical violence exercised by the state, it is necessary to name the different forms it takes in order to build and share strategies that allow us to confront it and protect our rights. We still have a long way to go in this search for justice; nevertheless, experience has also given us lessons on the importance of creating communities in order to advance down this road together. To create community, we need to build trust; to create resilience, we need to preserve memory." (Introduction, page 11-12)
more
"Digital systems are significantly associated with inequality in the global South. That association has traditionally been understood in terms of the digital divide or related terminologies whose core conceptualization is the exclusion of some groups from the benefits of digital systems. However, wi
...
th the growing breadth and depth of digital engagement in the global South, an exclusion worldview is no longer sufficient. What is also needed is an understanding of how inequalities are created for some groups that are included in digital systems. This paper creates such an understanding, drawing from ideas in the development studies literature on chronic poverty to inductively build a model of a new concept: ‘adverse digital incorporation’, meaning inclusion in a digital system that enables a more-advantaged group to extract disproportionate value from the work or resources of another, less advantaged group. This new model will enable those involved with digital development to understand why, how and for whom inequality can emerge from the growing use of digital systems in the global South. It creates a systematic framework incorporating the processes, the drivers, and the causes of adverse digital incorporation that will provide detailed new insights. The paper concludes with implications for both digital development researchers and practitioners that derive from the model and its exposure to the broader components of power that shape the inclusionary connection between digital and inequality." (Abstract)
more
"As the world welcomes its 8 billionth inhabitant, an estimated 5.3 billion people – roughly 66 per cent of the global population – are using the Internet. Yet some 2.7 billion people worldwide remain totally offline, with universal connectivity still a distant prospect in least developed countr
...
ies and landlocked developing countries, where, on average, only 36 per cent of the population is online. Young people remain the driving force of connectivity globally, with 75 per cent of the 15- to 24-year-old age group now online, compared with 65 per cent for the rest of the world’s population. And while data show slow but steady growth in fixed-broadband subscriptions, mobile continues to dominate as the platform of choice for online access, particularly in low-income countries where wireline connections can be scarce and costly, notably for those living outside of major urban centres. In poorly connected countries, two of the biggest barriers to digital uptake remain cost and digital skills. While affordability of entry-level fixed- and mobile-broadband services improved in 2022, the global gap remains far too wide. For an average consumer in a typical low-income economy, the cheapest mobile broadband basket still costs more than 9 per cent of his or her income – over six times the global average. Fixed-broadband service costs over 30 per cent, compared with less than 2 per cent in the world’s high-income countries." (Foreword)
more
"The Covid-19 pandemic has led to the rise of digitally enabled remote work with consequences for the global division of labour. Remote work could connect labour markets, but it might also increase spatial polarisation. However, our understanding of the geographies of remote work is limited. Specifi
...
cally, in how far could remote work connect employers and workers in different countries? Does it bring jobs to rural areas because of lower living costs, or does it concentrate in large cities? And how do skill requirements affect competition for employment and wages? We use data from a fully remote labour market—an online labour platform—to show that remote platform work is polarised along three dimensions. First, countries are globally divided: North American, European, and South Asian remote platform workers attract most jobs, while many Global South countries participate only marginally. Secondly, remote jobs are pulled to large cities; rural areas fall behind. Thirdly, remote work is polarised along the skill axis: workers with in-demand skills attract profitable jobs, while others face intense competition and obtain low wages. The findings suggest that agglomerative forces linked to the unequal spatial distribution of skills, human capital, and opportunities shape the global geography of remote work. These forces pull remote work to places with institutions that foster specialisation and complex economic activities, i. e. metropolitan areas focused on information and communication technologies. Locations without access to these enabling institutions—in many cases, rural areas—fall behind. To make remote work an effective tool for economic and rural development, it would need to be complemented by local skill-building, infrastructure investment, and labour market programmes." (Abstract)
more
"This white paper seeks to provide an overview of the core thematic issues around digital rights and digital safety across the world. The content builds off a global mapping exercise of organisations and knowledge, predominantly focused on Africa and the Middle East, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Eas
...
tern Europe and Central Asia. This document is intended to serve as a primer for practitioners and newcomers into the field of digital rights to gain a broad understanding of key issues within this ecosystem." (Introduction, page 5)
more
"This guide was created to drive conversations within technology entities to reconsider and reconceptualize how they approach inclusive design practices. Historically, inclusion has been a “nice-to-have” add-on within digital platforms, and as such, discriminates against and excludes a large pro
...
portion of the world, based on factors such as race, gender, class, ability, sexuality, geolocation, language, religion etc. The guide is intended to serve as an exercise in thinking about diverse perspectives and needs of unique users when developing programs, policies and platforms. We would like to note that in this guide, accessibility is used interchangeably to refer to ‘access to the internet’ or as used in disability rights." (Introduction)
more
"This study analyses the impacts of COVID-19 and its associated public policy responses on digital and intersectional inequality in South Africa from a demand-side perspective. The overarching research question it seeks to address is: To what extent were people in South Africa able to mitigate the n
...
egative (health and economic) effects of the pandemic and lockdowns through digital substitution? It draws on the results of a national phone questionnaire of 1 400 randomly selected respondents and the findings from six focus groups of men and women from urban and rural areas to examine the levels of digital substitution in relation to work, schooling and economic activity (such as banking, e-commerce and online business). It also investigates how digital substitution enabled access to social protection and COVID-19 relief. Finally, it discusses how public and infrastructure policies could be optimised for post-pandemic recovery and future policies." (Executive summary)
more
"The testimonies of caminantes [migrants and refugees travelling primarily by foot] interviewed for this study highlight the significant limitations of social media as a tool for inclusion among populations on the move in Venezuela and Colombia. It is important to note that caminantes are an acutely
...
vulnerable population, and their experience is not necessarily reflective of other people affected by the crisis in Venezuela. Indeed, other evidence has demonstrated cases elsewhere in the country where networking across social media has proved a vital way for people to link up with sources of support in the face of collapsing state service provision. It is especially striking that, for many caminantes – even those who were previously well-off – years of economic hardship and the experience of displacement itself have driven them back across the ‘digital divide’. Although some of our interviewees indicated that they were familiar with social media, particularly Facebook, this is one of the first things they gave up as their living conditions became more precarious. This challenges the idea that people move steadily forward into more connected lives as their encounters with new digital technologies proliferate. It also sounds a note of caution against assumptions that people displaced from middle-income settings are likely to be more connected. While many people affected by conflict in Syria and elsewhere were able to flee with some of their assets intact, using their phones as digital lifelines on their journeys, this option was not available to interviewees in this study, for whom the erosion of their resources and livelihoods to almost nothing was itself part of the motivation to flee." (Conclusion, page 14-15)
more
"The potential benefits of increased digitalisation to refugees, living in situations where access to information and spaces for communication exchange are of the essence, are yet to be realised. Uganda’s forced migrants, both those in refugee settlements and those self-settled in urban areas, hav
...
e demonstrated their eagerness to get and stay connected to the internet through social media platforms, regardless of the challenging context. The internet connectivity available to them ranges from cellular networking, wireless local area networking to personal area networking technologies. As communications systems and networks continue to grow and new social media applications are developed, the lives of refugees and humanitarians operating in settings of asylum are in reasingly likely to be affected in dynamic ways. As Maitland (2020) reminds us, connectivity (and its risks) can help overcome or ameliorate some of the sources of vulnerability. The road ahead is paved with complexities associated with refugee protection and inclusion in humanitarian programming in a ubiquitous digital environment, further accelerated by the exigencies of social distancing due to Covid-19." (Conclusion, page 35)
more