Desigualdades digitais : interseccionalidades entre os fatores socioeconômicos e o nível de compretências digitais no Brasil

Abstract

The brazilian survey TIC Domicílios 2022 shows that 86% of Brazilians over the age of 10 have access to the internet. Despite the significant percentage, the mere fact of having access to the digital world is no guarantee of autonomy of use, taking advantage of online opportunities and carrying out routine activities. According to the literature, for full access to digital media, three stages need to be overcome: material access (device and connectivity), digital competence (dexterity in handling devices and interacting with the internet) and, finally, online opportunities (related to attitude and behavioral aspects). In a way, the survey shows a good level of digital inclusion beyond the barriers of material access. However, there are socio-economic conditions and types of devices to which users have access, which act as additional barriers to second-order digital inclusion: digital skills. The aim of this study is to investigate the intersectionality of socio-economic and infrastructure factors in the development of digital skills. In order to carry out this study, a score model was created in which groups of digital skills organized by area of activity (dependent variables) are related to groups of socioeconomic variables and type of access, creating an average score for each positive response to the digital activity. We found that users in the A class, with higher education and access via multi-devices, are the most likely to develop digital skills, with only the highest age groups being affected. Users with an initial level of education, belonging to classes C, D and E with exclusive access via cell phone, have more difficulty developing digital skills. The results found in this research can serve as a preliminary diagnosis to improve the efficiency of public policies, segmenting groups by specific needs according to digital skills.