Session
Centro Latinoamericano de Investigaciones Sobre Internet
Jose Luis Mendoza, Centro Latinoamericano de Investigaciones Sobre Internet, ONG Carlina Fernandez, Universidad de Carabobo, Academia
Jose Luis Mendoza, Centro Latinoamericano de Investigaciones Sobre Internet, ONG Carlina Fernandez, Universidad de Carabobo, Academia
Jose Luis Mendoza
Carlina Fernandez
Targets: we cannot talk about inclusion if the development of digital public services does not include the necessary digital literacy for the elderly. This group is growing in Latin America, could not acquire digital tools at the time of their formation and is left behind today by not having more accessible options for them. Additionally, the market, private banking, trade and even educational opportunities in a globalized world demand that they have these tools, it is not enough to ensure their ability to connect through a computer with connectivity, but to ensure that they have the knowledge and the ability to take advantage of such connectivity.
Lightning Talk
Digital literacy plans in Latin America have traditionally been aimed at youth and adolescents, and are included as part of formal or special educational plans. However, the elderly also need to be included, especially as governments in the region have moved towards “digital government” which imposes a barrier to access to public services to all people who do not handle digital tools. This has even led in the case of Venezuela to the emergence of an informal market of services for people who do not have the capacity to manage their requests in the government's online systems (and where there is no more accessible offline version for people without connection).
Although our case study is based on Latin America, we welcome participation from other regions to make a comparative study on the best way to address this problem. We believe that it will not be solved with the simple passage of time, since not all people have access at this time to training in digital tools, so that over time, they will be marginalized and can only be included with the necessary digital literacy. The digital divide is a terrible sword of damocres that hangs over the future of societies.