ICT, youth and development. The appropriation of computers and ICT by low income urban youngsters in Argentina

BENÍTEZ LARGHI SEBASTIÁN; AGUERRE CAROLINA; FONTECOBA ARIEL; PONCE DE LEÓN JIMENA; MOGUILLANSKY MARINA

Buenos Aires

Congreso; 2nd ISA Forum of Sociology. "Social justice & democratization"; 2012

International Sociological Association

Our research in Buenos Aires sought to understand the ways in which youth from low-income sectors use new technologies in their daily lives and the significance they attribute them. We focused on technology accessed at three different public access support centres (PASCs) located in the county of La Matanza: 1) a community initiative run by a local grassroots organization; 2) an Access and Training Centre (CEA) run by an organization with the support of the government of Argentina; and 3) a cybercafé. The research is centred on the practices of low-income youth in these venues and explores the modes of appropriation of ICT that contribute to changes, positive or negative, in terms of employability, education, socialization and participation in the political realm. The research was conducted through the observation of venues, in-depth interviews of users in public access venues and surveys of users and non-users. The main finding of our study is that public access venues and community centres that support public access contribute to the social inclusion of youth in poor urban environments. Community centres such as the two considered in this study, satisfy training needs that are not met by market-oriented institutes or formal schooling. Cybercafés are spaces of sociability and contact, where people put into practice what they learn in community centres, and where the main activities are centred on communication and entertainment over the Internet.