Bianca Valverde visits her aunt Aracelly Alvarado when she can. They both live in Guayaquil and the only communication when they are far away is by phone. Bianca assures that her relative owns a Nokia 1110 cell phone, which she has managed to keep despite the years.
His aunt has never used a cell phone with internet access, let alone a computer or laptop. She is completely unaware of digital. In fact, due to this lack of knowledge, Bianca helps her aunt by transmitting the messages of her nephews who live in another country, who write to Bianca on WhatsApp.
“She has some nephews in Venezuela and she asks me to send photos to Venezuela or a message. The relatives there send me audio recordings for her and I act as an intermediary. So, I call my aunt and give her the message, ”says Bianca, who also prints the photographs that are sent to her aunt because that is her wish.
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“Sometimes she has been interested in learning because she would like to be more connected with her relatives in Venezuela,” says Bianca, who is always willing to help her aunt because she understands that she does not handle technology.
Almost 95% of the characteristics that Aracelly possesses make it within the digital illiteracy, according to the description of the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC): Digital illiterate is considered a person who does not have an activated cell phone, who in the last twelve months has not used a computer or the Internet.
The INEC published a study in July 2022 and covers only the population aged 15 to 49, which represents 8.8 million people. Of these, 700,000 are digitally illiterate, placing the country at 8.2%, a lower percentage than in 2020, which was 10.2%. In fact, since 2014 the current rate is the lowest.
Juan José Delgado, director of the University Expert degree in Computer Expertise and Computer Forensics, from UNIR, points out that the need for digitization will continue and that is why sufficient training is required so that everyone can develop and there are no isolated areas. “It is a great social concern because the same digital literacy allows them to be more outside of society,” says Delgado.
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The indigenous have the highest percentage of digital illiteracy with 31%, followed by the Afro-Ecuadorian with 11.1%; montubio 8.3% and mestizo 4.6%. In the urban and rural areas, this great difference is still evident. In the urban area it is 3.6% in 2022 compared to 2020, which was 7.5%, that is, it fell and is positive. But in rural areas it went from 16.8% in 2020 to 19% in 2022. The same amount as in 2018, that is, in pre-pandemic.
| Digital literacy (year) | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 14.4% |
| 2015 | 12.2% |
| 2016 | 11.5% |
| 2017 | 10.5% |
| 2018 | 10.7% |
| 2019 | 11.4% |
| 2020 | 10.2% |
| 2022 | 8.2% |
“Many times people do not use digital services because they do not have the scope or they are very expensive, or they do not find that need, but today satellite internet initiatives are emerging for remote areas”, says Delgado.
María Elena Narváez, Director of Online Education at UISEKagrees that the values mean that there is no access, but considers that there are other problems that prevent the digital divide from being reduced, such as the school dropout
“If it is that in the post-pandemic they could not sustain the number of children, young people in education, it was obvious that this level of literacy was going to rise,” explains Narváez.
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In basic education the level of digital literacy is 18.3%, in high school it is 4.5% and higher than 0.4%. The INEC, in another study, indicates that there are 195,188 children and adolescents between the ages of 5 and 17 who have left their schools and colleges.
Narváez emphasizes that the population analyzed in digital literacy should have been broader and more include children under 15 years of age, since in their opinion, they have been the most affected and in the future they could result in not getting a formal job. “A person who does not have any level of studies has more digital illiteracy and one of the possible consequences is that they do not have a formal jobpaid, even with the benefits of the law”, he points out.
He adds that there are three factors that can help reduce the digital divide: expand connectivity from the central government, that educational centers have more access to the internet and train through infocenters from the beginning, such as opening an email.
Delgado maintains that over time the gap will decrease and the need for connectivity in any part of the world will increase. (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
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