Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 19:12:21 -0400
From: Raisa URRIBARDI MINARDI <[email protected]>

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING IS A NON EDITED MACHINE TRANSLATION FROM THE ORIGINAL IN SPANISH.

THIS MESSAGE REPLIES TO Ricardo RICCI, Internet, the missing debate, 12/02/2000

On purpose of Ricardo's message Ricci, an article with data on Venezuela.

El Universal. Sunday February 13 2000.

Caracas. - The Venezuelan is a population interested in being connected to Internet. The paradoxical thing is that the great majority, 82,9%, has not been able to buy a computer, and that 4,1% only consents indeed to the cyberspace.

The access lack to the technology among the Venezuelans is evidenced in the results of a recent survey carried out by Datan�lisis to 1.527 people at national level. Before the question of you would be interested in a service of Internet? 42,7% responds that yes and 17,3% says to be very interested, percentage that duplicates to 22,1% that one manifests not very interested and to 16,9% that, in fact, prefers neither knowledge of Internet.

This indifference, however, is provoked mainly for economic reasons. Of the group that responded to be little or anything interested, 26,3% alleged that it was because their revenues didn't allow it to them, and 12% because they didn't have computer. 17,1% considered it unnecessary or dispensable. While 15,7% yes showed total easiness, because they admitted that they had never gotten him the attention.

Of the other side, of those that yes they flirt with the possibility or the certain fact of navigating for the cyberspace, the strongest reasons are the capacity to be informed with details and swiftly of what happens in the world, 50,4%, and to be helped in their studies or work, 22,5%.

One day yes, other not The attractiveness that exercises Internet on the Venezuelans is not addictive. At least still. Most of those interviewed is frequently connected interdiaria and it doesn't navigate more than ten hours a month.

Almost half of the population cibernauta, 47,6%, it navigates from their home. The favorite schedule is among 8 and 10 of the night. The 27,8 make it in the work and it is usually between the 9 and 11 in the morning. 11% achieves connection in its study places; 10,5% should go to friends' house and family and 2,3% uses public computers.

In what concerns to the investment, 65,8% of those who navigate from the office ignores how much pay the company for the service. 23,8% of those that are neither connected from the computer of the home assumes the cost, but another same proportion, 23,8%, it admits to cancel between 20 and 30 thousand bolivars a month. Between 10 thousand and 20 thousand bolivars pay 22,6%; less than ten thousand, 12,5%, and more than 30 thousand, 13,1%.

Another fact that throws the survey and that it corroborates that the main obstacle for not being tied to the technology of the cyberspace is economic, it is that of the non users, 37% would be willing to pay between ten thousand and 20 thousand monthly bolivars to be connected to Internet. This without including the phone expense. 12,9% manifested the possibility to cancel between 20 thousand and 30 thousand, and 14,9% less than ten thousand.

For information For the Venezuelans, Internet neither seems to be an exclusive reason of distraction of the work or the study. According to the answers, 62,7% of those who navigate from the house makes it to look for information, while this proportion is of 66,4% when it is from the office. In the home, 24% is connected with the cyberspace for chequear its electronic mail, and in the work, 20,1%. to socialize or chat, 10,3% is only connected in its housing and 5,4% in the labor position.

What is still very incipient is the interest of the Venezuelans, users or not, in to buy things or to hire services through the web. 21,8% of those that yes they have access to Internet, said to be ' anything disposed ' to make it. Of the non users, 14,9% is not interested in it. The impediment of lacking credit card also makes jag in the national electronic trade. 37,7% of the users doesn't have it and neither the non users' 57,9%.

http://funredes.org/mistica/english/emec/production/c4/0139.html
Last modified: 22/02/2000