Digital inequalities in the access and use of mobile devices

This March 19, the International Digital Learning Day is celebrated for the first time in the world, an initiative that was promoted by UNESCO member countries after recognizing the importance of having digital skills in today’s society.

According to the latest survey of “Access, uses and Internet users” that the Undersecretary of Telecommunications (Subtel) conducts with CADEM, 94.3% of households in Chile reported having Internet access.

However, data from the recent Digital Inclusion Study 2023 prepared by the alternate director of NUDOS, Teresa Correa, and the main researcher of the Imhay Millennium Nucleus, Isabel Pavez, show that Internet access does not ensure the development of digital skills.

According to the research data, the main gaps in use and skills affect the elderly, rural areas and lower socioeconomic strata. For example, only 15% of respondents over 61 years of age know how to use keyboard commands, a percentage that rises to only 20% when it comes to downloading and saving photos from the web.

Teresa Correa points out in an interview with Cooperativa Ciencia that “there is an expectation that all people are connected today, but even among those who are connected, the levels of literacy, of being able to carry out procedures and feel confident that you can do them, are much lower”.

In addition to Internet access, there are also gaps in terms of access to electronic devices. Regarding the computer, high percentages of respondents reported never having used it: rural areas (73%), women (57%), those over 61 years of age (84%) and people of lower socioeconomic status (76%). In the case of smartphones, the lack of use is concentrated mainly among those over 61 years of age: 40% say they have never used a smartphone. Smart TV also does not show much penetration in rural areas, people aged 61 years or older and socioeconomic levels D and E. Fifty percent of people in rural areas say they have never used it, in the case of those over 61 years of age this percentage rises to 60% and for the lower sectors it reaches 52%.