Survey investigates Internet use for expanding access to culture in Brazil

A survey by Cetic.br highlights the main opportunities and challenges for the dissemination of the network among cultural institutions in the Country

Cultural facilities can contribute to the expansion of access to culture through the use of information and communication technologies, especially by offering cultural services and products on the Internet. This is indicated by the 1st edition of the ICT Culture 2016 survey, launched this Wednesday (17) by the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br) through the Center for Regional Studies for the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br), of the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br).

The study also reveals that the use of online platforms (websites and social networks) by Brazilian cultural facilities (such as archives, listed assets, libraries, cinemas, museums, cultural points, and theaters) is more focused on publishing news and activities of the institutions than on spreading cultural content.

“Cultural facilities are an important place for actualizing access to culture, both through the offer of training activities and cultural programming, and through the preservation and dissemination of collections. However, the use of ICT by these institutions is still incipient for the full exploitation of this potential. Digital technologies could be used not only to publicize the activities of the institutions, but also to expand cultural audiences through live broadcasts, distance learning activities, and the availability of collections on the Internet,” reflects Alexandre Barbosa, manager of Cetic.br.

Profile of cultural facilities

Among the cultural facilities analyzed, libraries (94%), archives (80%), and museums (67%) are predominantly public institutions. On the other hand, cinemas (76%, with 68% for-profit) and cultural points (81% non-profit) are mostly private. The resources that maintain cultural facilities come from various sources, from government agencies to the sale of products and services. Most institutions are small, with 1 to 9 employees, while cultural points stand out for the presence of volunteers.

ICT Infrastructure

According to the ICT Culture 2016 survey, computer use is practically universal among archives (99%) and cinemas (98%) but can still be expanded, particularly in listed assets (69%), libraries (78%), and museums (81%). Internet use reveals a similar scenario, showing regional inequalities, especially in libraries and museums; while 81% of libraries in the Southeast region used the Internet in the year prior to the survey, the percentage reaches 49% among those in the North region.

The presence of WiFi is not widespread, and providing the connection to the public does not reach 50% of the institutions in any of the analyzed categories of cultural facilities. Regarding the types of software adopted, the highest proportion of usage of licensed software was presented by cinemas (68%), while the use of free licensed software stood out in cultural points (51%).

Internet Use

The study also points out that most institutions offer services, information, or assistance to the public via the Internet, with a highlight on archives (82%) and cinemas (76%). However, some activities show variations according to the profile of each facility. The sale of products and services via the Internet has a higher percentage among cinemas (57%), while resource mobilization (54%) and the use of electronic government services stand out among cultural points, especially concerning the search for information on government notices (77%) and participation in these notices (74%).

Among the services offered via the Internet, ticket sales or reservations stand out among cinemas and theaters. Training activities are still predominantly in-person among all types of facilities– distance learning is not a common practice, showing percentages above 10% only among cultural points (13%) and archives (17%).

Presence on websites and social networks

According to the survey, the presence of cultural institutions on the Internet also varies according to their profile. Own websites are more common among cinemas (73%) than among libraries (9%). Among almost all types of cultural facilities, Internet presence through social networks is more frequent: cinemas (94%); cultural points (77%); theaters (62%); museums (49%); listed assets (48%); libraries (35%).

“These online platforms are used, especially for promoting activities, cultural programming, and news, with little use of their potential for streaming live videos, virtual tours, or providing cataloged collections–which could become important tools for expanding access to culture, especially in regions with less availability of cultural facilities,” ponders Barbosa.

Digitization of collections

The ICT Culture 2016 shows a significant presence of collections in all categories of cultural facilities, with the digitization of materials standing out among archives (74%), cultural points (63%), and museums (58%). Most facilities had digitized less than half of their collections' items, and the main difficulty pointed out is the lack of funding, followed by the lack of qualified staff. Even among those with digitized collections, most provide it to the public on site rather than on the Internet.

Skills and perceptions about the use of ICT

The ICT Culture survey further reveals that most cultural facilities do not have an IT area or department, nor do they hire services in that area, except for cinemas. According to the study, the greatest difficulty in using computers and the Internet is the lack of financial resources for technology investment, and “use of outdated devices” and “low connection speed” are other mentioned difficulties. “These aspects reveal that economic, infrastructure, and training challenges persist for the appropriation of technologies by Brazilian cultural facilities,” concludes the manager of Cetic.br.

About the survey

Conducted between November 2016 and April 2017, the ICT Culture survey investigates the existence of information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure and the use of these technologies in Brazilian cultural facilities, focusing on internal management, contact with the public, and the digitization of collections. It also provides information about IT management in these institutions and the perception of contributions and challenges for computer and Internet use. In 2016, 2,389 cultural facilities were interviewed, including archives, listed assets, libraries, cinemas, museums, cultural points, and theaters.

To access the survey in full, visit: https://cetic.br/pesquisa/cultura/indicadores, or read the publication at: https://cetic.br/pesquisa/cultura/publicacoes.

About Cetic.br

The Center for Regional Studies for the Development of the Information Society, part of NIC.br, is responsible for producing indicators and statistics about the availability and use of the Internet in Brazil, disseminating periodic analyses and information about network development in the Country. Cetic.br is a Regional Study Center under UNESCO's auspices. More information at https://www.cetic.br/.

About the Brazilian Network Information Center – NIC.br

The Brazilian Network Information Center — NIC.br (https://www.nic.br/) is a private, non-profit civil entity that, besides implementing the decisions and projects of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee, has among its functions: coordinating domain name registration — Registro.br (https://www.registro.br/), studying, responding to, and handling security incidents in Brazil — CERT.br (https://www.cert.br/), studying and researching network and operations technologies — Ceptro.br (https://www.ceptro.br/), producing indicators on information and communication technologies — Cetic.br (https://www.cetic.br/), promoting and boosting the web's evolution in Brazil — Ceweb.br (https://www.ceweb.br/) and housing the W3C office in Brazil (https://www.w3c.br/).

About the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee – CGI.br

The Brazilian Internet Steering Committee is responsible for establishing strategic guidelines related to the use and development of the Internet in Brazil, coordinating and integrating all Internet service initiatives in the Country, promoting the technical quality, innovation, and dissemination of offered services. Based on multi-sectoralism and transparency principles, CGI.br represents a democratic Internet governance model praised internationally, where all sectors of society equally participate in its decisions. One of its formulations is the 10 Principles for Internet Governance and Use (https://www.cgi.br/principios). More information at https://www.cgi.br/.

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