Despite the increase in internet access in Brazil during the pandemic, the quality of connection services is still not homogeneous. Most app workers faced web-related difficulties in 2021, according to the ICT Covid survey, released this Tuesday (5).
For the category, being without internet access is like a train trying to operate without tracks. Carrying out the service becomes impossible, and with the aggravating factor that there are no ways to circumvent the impact on the daily income of couriers and drivers.
The survey, prepared by Cetic.br (Regional Center for Studies for the Development of the Information Society), shows that 68% of users who worked through applications last year experienced this type of situation.
The digitalization promoted by the pandemic, while increasing internet access among the poorest, runs up against the lack of infrastructure and highlights the digital inequality that exists in the country.
According to Fabio Senne, research coordinator at Cetic.br/NIC.br, the pandemic has increased the demand for higher quality and more stable connections. “It is no longer enough to access every three months, but access all the time, without interruptions and without coverage problems”, he says.
An index that summarizes the disparity in internet access in Brazil is what refers to the device used to do so. While the cell phone is the main means in all classes, computer access is restricted to 22% of the D/E class, compared to 93% of the A/B class.
The ratio reflects the quality of the user’s web experience as working with spreadsheets, writing texts and creating presentations on a computer is much more productive than on a smartphone.
In addition, while 91% of the A/B class made inquiries, payments or other financial transactions over the internet in 2021, the index drops to 53% in the D/E class.
Despite the significantly lower number, this is a significant increase compared to the ICT Households 2019 survey, carried out with the same age group. That year, only 11% of the D/E class performed this type of activity on the internet.
The social restrictions imposed by the health crisis, which leveraged remote work and the provision of public services through apps, such as Gov.br, Pix and emergency aid, are the main reason for this increase.
“From the point of view of access to the internet and online services, it can be said that the distance between the different groups of the population has been reduced [durante a pandemia]. But if we look at it from the point of view of taking advantage of resources and opportunities, inequalities are greater or remain unchanged,” said Senne.
Regarding consumption, in general, 51% of users bought products and services over the internet – in class A/B, the proportion is 81%, compared to only 30% in class D/E.
The survey also shows that remote work was performed by 66% of the A/B class, 33% of the C class and 16% of the D/E class during the pandemic. Among app workers, 60% entered the business during the Covid crisis.
The sample of the 4th edition of TIC Covid is 5,552 people aged 16 or over, interviewed between July 15th and 30th, 2021 on the internet.
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