Therefore, the ICT Households 2017 survey made it clear that younger individuals, those with higher education levels, and those in higher social classes had more access to the Internet and used more often most of the services offered online. The survey also included a set of questions about cultural activities carried out online, and access to artistic content and entertainment. The two most common activities were watching films, videos or series and listening to music, with identical percentages in 2017: 71% of Internet users, more than in 2014 (58% and 57%, respectively).
Reading newspapers and magazines decreased between 2014 and 2015, but then reversed this fall, reaching 55% in 2017. An important indicator included in the last survey was access to virtual exhibitions or museums on the Internet (11%).
The survey also showed a gradual decline in the percentage of those who downloaded music – from 51% (2014) to 42% (2017) – and films – from 29% to 23%. This result seems compatible with the growth in streaming services in recent years.
And who uses these resources the most? Again, the “staircase of inequality” stood out: its presence was greater among those in the younger age groups, those in higher social classes, and those with higher levels of education (Charts 3 and 4). In terms of individuals who play games online, the trend was inverted for level of education: age group seemed to be more significant, with a higher percentage of individuals with an Elementary Education engaging in this activity than those with a Secondary Education, which in turn was higher than those who have a Tertiary Education.
CHART 3
INTERNET USERS WHO LISTENED TO MUSIC ONLINE, BY LEVEL OF EDUCATION, SOCIAL CLASS AND AGE GROUP (2017) Total number of Internet users (%)
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
Illiterate / Pre-school Fundamental Secondary Tertiary DE C B A 10 to 15 years old 16 to 24 years old 25 to 34 years old 35 to 44 years old 45 to 59 years old 60 years old or older
LEVEL OF EDUCATION SOCIAL CLASS AGE GROUP
55 66
73 76
66 69 76
83 85 84
75 67
52 46
5 This verb interact is used to indicate both passive (watching, listening) and active (downloading, posting) interactions.
Source: ICT Households 2017 (CGI.br, 2018).
ENGLISH CHART 4
INTERNET USERS WHO WATCHED VIDEOS, TV PROGRAMS, FILMS OR SERIES ONLINE, BY LEVEL OF EDUCATION, SOCIAL CLASS AND AGE GROUP (2017)
Total number of Internet users (%)
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
Illiterate / Pre-school Fundamental Secondary Tertiary DE C B A 10 to 15 years old 16 to 24 years old 25 to 34 years old 35 to 44 years old 45 to 59 years old 60 years old or older
LEVEL OF EDUCATION SOCIAL CLASS AGE GROUP
55 64
72 80
63 69
78
86 88 85
76 67
50 41
Source: ICT Households 2017 (CGI.br, 2018).
It is important to highlight two points. First, contrary to what occurred with frequency of access and use of some services, when it comes to cultural activities, the “staircase” was the steepest among age groups. In the first three age groups, which included users from 10 to 34 years old, all the percentages were above the average of the total number of Internet users (71% for listening to music and watching films). The opposite occurred among individuals 35 years old or older, which included three groups that were below the average.
Second, also contrary to what was observed for the previous indicators, relative to the enjoyment of cultural content, a discrepancy emerged between male and female audiences.
With the exception of virtual visits to museums or exhibitions on the Internet, men carried out these activities more often (Chart 5).
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ICT IN CULTURE SURVEY 2018 ARTICLESENGLISH
CHART 5
INTERNET USERS BY ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT (2017) Total number of Internet users (%)
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
43
76 77
58
11 26
67 65
51
10
Played online games
Listened to music online
Watched videos, programs, films or series online
Read newspapers, magazines or
news online
Visited online exhibitions or museums
MALE FEMALE
Source: ICT Households 2017 (CGI.br, 2018).
The ICT Households survey also presented information about more active practices related to cultural content. Here, once again, the “staircase” appeared: the percentages almost always increased with level of education and social class and decreased with age. This applied to sharing content on the Internet; creating or updating blogs, webpages or websites; and posting texts, images, photos, videos or music created by users (Chart 6).
ENGLISH CHART 6
INTERNET USERS WHO POSTED TEXTS, IMAGES, PHOTOS, VIDEOS OR MUSIC THEY CREATED ONLINE, BY LEVEL OF EDUCATION, SOCIAL CLASS AND AGE GROUP (2017)
Total number of Internet users (%)
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
Illiterate / Pre-school Fundamental Secondary Tertiary DE C B A 10 to 15 years old 16 to 24 years old 25 to 34 years old 35 to 44 years old 45 to 59 years old 60 years old or older
LEVEL OF EDUCATION SOCIAL CLASS AGE GROUP
21 32
39 43
35 36 39 39
35
45 45 36
26 21
Source: ICT Households 2017 (CGI.br, 2018).
The trend remained the same for most of the questions relative to downloading (films, series, music, games, apps and books). In this set of questions, differences between male and female users re-emerged – in all cases, men downloaded more content than women.
In sum, this data showed that the groups at the top of the “staircase” were almost always the same. Individuals with higher education levels, those with higher incomes, and those in the youngest age groups had more access to the Internet, accessed with greater frequency and enjoyed more possibilities for services and products. In addition, they interacted more actively with artistic and cultural materials. Could this more intense online routine imply less access to offline cultural activities?