María Fernanda Carvallo, Mexico City Community Manager
Literacy, the ability to read and write, does not pose a big challenge for Mexico City. Instead, it is new and constantly changing technology and methods of communication that have pushed the population to suffer from a new kind of illiteracy: digital illiteracy. The fact that certain Mexico City residents are unable to communicate and receive information makes social inclusion impossible. In addition, basic computer skills are not enough to be digitally literate nowadays. The lack of skills needed to access technological tools limits the inhabitants of Mexico City from having their voices heard, which makes it difficult for them to fully exercise their democratic rights.
This new form of digital illiteracy is associated with various factors, including income, education, and age. The study “Technology in Mexican Civil Society” indicates that “the ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) sector still faces difficulties in connecting low-income people in vulnerable areas to new technology and communication methods. Close to 30 million people without a mobile phone belong to low socio-economic classes.” Furthermore, the study argues that the high cost of telecommunication services in Mexico has prevented many people from accessing the Internet. According to Regina de Angoitia and Fernando Ramirez, both cited in the study, “among mobile phone users belonging to low social classes, 90 per cent have prepaid plans and use close to 10 per cent of their monthly income for communication services; in comparison, middle class families use around 3.7 per cent of their monthly income.”
The Comisión de Derechos Humanos de la Asamblea Legislativa del Distrito Federal (Human Rights Commission of the Legislative Assembly of the Federal District) proposed the creation of a bill called Ley del Derecho al Acceso a Internet (the Right to Internet Access Act) in order to eliminate digital illiteracy, promote the development of society as a whole, and promote citizen participation. The Historic Downtown and the Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico City currently offer free wifi Internet access. ALDF’s goal is to be able to serve vulnerable populations in areas that do not have Internet connections, such as Tláhuac, Gustavo A. Madero, and Iztapalapa. In order to make this possible, working committees were put in place with members of NGOs and of the Secretaría de Ciencia y Tecnología del Gobierno Capitalino (Ministry of Science and Technology of Mexico City) with the goal of developing a proposal that will be economically and technologically feasible.
Unfortunately, there is currently no working plan to make the free Internet access bill possible. However, there are efforts from civil society that should be noted. For example, el Comité para la Democratización Informática (the Committee for the Democratization of Information) is working on creating ICT community centers in low-income areas. Their aim is to empower marginalized youth through technology so they can become agents of social change. Similarly, in order to strengthen citizen participation, the Centro Nacional de Comunicación Social (National Center for Social Communication) works with NGOs, nonprofit organizations, and social movements by advising them with strategic and communication practices. This organization’s emphasis is helping people by spreading their message and by creating an online network using social media.
With the help of civil society, the bill for free Internet access can gain support and be strengthened. This bill would provide free Internet access to Mexico City’s residents, guaranteeing them the human right of access to information, and would therefore help eliminate social discrimination in various sectors of the population.
Photo credit: CDI