Connected Brazil and digital humanities: the perspective of interpreting museums in Porto Alegre

Abstract

A connected society implies a new concept of cultural patrimony which starts to exist when the space is changing from physical to the one of data flow. Cyberspace and new technologies in cultural institutions provide up-to-date information to their public that has the potential of acting as a co-author by creating and sharing. Accessing cultural information of the museum's collection online through the screen or electronic device is a global trend and leads individuals to interact, exchange knowledge and absorb social change. Can one think that it is the “Digital Age” that is imposing itself on teaching during the pandemic? Can you imagine that everyone will migrate to digital on equal terms, including the population most vulnerable to poverty? Are digital educational resources within easy reach of the entire student community? Do all families have sufficient digital literacy and financial conditions to assist and enable their children to access and use digital tools? The answers seem obvious. It is not possible to disregard or pretend to be a minor problem, which was known before the covid-19: the digital inequality. It has already been revealed that the place where you live defines insertion in the digital world. The outskirts of Porto Alegre, like many others in Brazil, are full of families with school-age children who face serious obstacles to accessing the world wide web. Difficulties ranging from not being able to buy a computer to being unable to pay the cost of equipment or connection services. That is why they are classified, in the surveys, as “second-class users”, for making use of the internet based on more limited tools, such as cell phones, limited data access and access in public places. Digital inequalities connected with the pandemic. The article analyzes the connected Brazilian society and characterizes its involvement in the social media using the example of the museums of the city of Porto Alegre.