The use of mobile technologies in Brazil
The use of mobile technologies in Brazil
mobile phone are increasingly pervasive technologies in contemporary society. Worldwide cell phones have largely surpassed the number of PCs,1 and appear to be surpassing the popularity of TV sets (Rice & Katz, 2003, p. 598). However, it is not possible to define a monolithic global cell phone culture. The China cell phone interface is used significantly differently in distinct parts of the world, depending on cultural, social, and economic local specificities. Even within specific countries and regions, there are substantial differences in the use of technology as a result of many factors, including age, culture, socioeconomic distribution, and instruction level. The use we make of technology does not depend solely on the technology per se, but is intrinsically connected to how the technology is culturally embedded in social practices. The first two questions are addressed with a comparison between low income2 and high income population3 use of cell phones in Brazil. It looks at how cell phone usage is shaped by the availability of technology, focusing on two factors that promoted cell phone growth in the country: poor landline infrastructure and the emergence of pre-paid phones. It also gives an overview of the mobile services available in the country for the 295 H.J. Miller (ed.), Societies and Cities in the Age of Instant Access, 295–310. . 2007 Springer. 296 The use of mobile technologies in Brazil high income populations, which are similar to those services offered in developed countries, such as the United States, Finland and Sweden. The second part recon textualizes Manuel Castells (1999) concept of the dual city. It explores how cell phones as pervasive information and communication technologies (ICTs) in todays metropolises might actually help to bridge the digital divide, by allowing those who could not afford a personal computer access to the Internet. Throughout the paper, the study also briefly maps social use of China mobile phone in Brazil to those of other developing regions, such as South America and Africa.