TIC Culture 2018 shows regional differences in Internet use by cultural institutions

Online presence and digitization of collections are some of the points investigated by the survey

The TIC Culture 2018 survey, released this Tuesday (23) by the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br), through the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br) of the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br), points to regional variations in the use of the Internet by cultural facilities in Brazil. In the case of libraries, for example, Internet usage is lower in the North (49%) and Northeast (51%) compared to the South (83%).

According to the survey, the lack of internet access infrastructure (mentioned by 15% of libraries and 9% of museums) and high connection costs (mentioned by 12% of libraries and 8% of museums) are the main reasons for institutions not using the web.

Regarding connection quality, the TIC Culture 2018 reveals that practically all types of cultural facilities surveyed have connections of up to 10 Mbps, which may restrict the performance of more sophisticated activities requiring higher connection speeds, such as video streaming.

The survey also investigates whether cultural facilities provide these technologies for public use. In the case of offering computers for users, archives and culture points have higher levels (both at 52%); whereas the offer of WiFi connection does not exceed half of the institutions in any of the types of facilities.

"The survey data reinforces the need to promote public policies for the effective implementation of broadband and WiFi connections in Brazilian cultural facilities, to reduce digital access inequalities among the population. In this context, libraries are extremely relevant, as they exist in greater numbers and are distributed throughout the country," evaluates Alexandre Barbosa, manager of Cetic.br.

Internet presence and use

Cultural institutions are more present on the Internet through social media profiles than through websites. The majority has their own website only among archives (56%) and cinemas (71%). Cinemas are also among the most present on social networks (83%), along with culture points (79%). Online platforms are used mainly to disseminate news, activities, and programs offered to the public, which occurs on over half of the websites of archives, cinemas, culture points, and theaters, and on social networks with about three out of every four cinemas and culture points.

On the other hand, the TIC Culture 2018 survey reveals fewer tools that could expand remote access to activities and cultural facilities, such as live video streaming on websites (did not exceed 20% in any of the types of cultural facilities) or the possibility of virtual visits (only 10% of museums, for instance, offer this feature on their websites). The offer of distance learning is also incipient, reaching a maximum proportion of 12% in archives and culture points.

Most archives feature digitized collections (77%), compared to museums (61%), culture points (61%), and listed properties (55%), yet only a small portion of the collections is digitized. Digitalized collections are mainly available to the public at the institutions' functioning locations, rather than via the Internet. This indicates that the practice is more used for the preservation of materials than for dissemination.

Another unprecedented indicator, the online availability of collection catalogs, which could provide visibility and access to these materials, is carried out by only 15% of museums and 12% of libraries, showing a higher proportion among archives (38%).

"The results indicate that Internet usage is aimed at attracting physical attendees more than reaching new audiences through the offer of online content. They also reveal that cultural institutions in Brazil still face significant challenges in achieving the targets set in the National Culture Plan," states Barbosa.

Management and perceptions of the use of ICTs

Most cultural facilities do not have an information technology (IT) department or area, nor do they contract related services, with the exception of cinemas. For social media management, more than half of cinemas (71%) and culture points (53%) have an area or person responsible for public interaction on these platforms. The greatest reported contributions from the use of ICTs by cultural facility managers relate to the promotion of institutions and their activities. The main barrier mentioned for the use of computers and the Internet remains the lack of financial resources, highlighting the need for investments in technology.

Profile of the institutions

According to TIC Culture, public institutions continue to play a fundamental role in the sphere of Brazilian cultural facilities. In 2018, they were the majority among libraries (97%), archives (80%), museums (72%), and theaters (57%), institutions that also predominantly relied on government resources. Conversely, listed properties (58%), cinemas (76%), and culture points (85%) are mostly private, the latter also being promoted by a public policy. Most cultural facilities, except for listed properties, were created after 1985, a period coinciding with significant institutional milestones in Brazilian cultural policies.

About the Survey

Conducted between March and July 2018, the TIC Culture survey investigates the presence and adoption of information and communication technologies (ICT) in Brazilian cultural facilities, both in their internal operational routine and in relation to their audiences. In 2018, 3,065 individuals responsible for cultural facilities were interviewed, including archives, listed properties, libraries, cinemas, museums, culture points, and theaters.

The release of the indicators and publication occurred today during the 2nd edition of the "Culture, Education, and Technologies in Debate" cycle, an activity conducted by Cetic.br/NIC.br in partnership with Sesc São Paulo and the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP).

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

About Cetic.br

The Regional Center for Studies on 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 the network's development in the country. Cetic.br is a Regional Study Center, under the auspices of UNESCO. 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 civil, private, non-profit entity that, in addition to implementing the decisions and projects of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee, has among its responsibilities: 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 technologies and operations — Ceptro.br (https://www.ceptro.br/), producing indicators about information and communication technologies — Cetic.br (https://www.cetic.br/), implementing and operating the Traffic Exchange Points — IX.br (https://ix.br/), facilitating the participation of the Brazilian community in the global development of the Web and supporting the formulation of public policies — Ceweb.br (https://www.ceweb.br), and hosting 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 technical quality, innovation, and the dissemination of the services provided. Based on principles of multilateralism, transparency, and democracy, CGI.br represents a multi-stakeholder model of Internet governance with effective participation from all sectors of society 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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This content was automatically translated with the support of artificial intelligence.