The use of the internet and the democratisation of information : the Brazilian experience

Abstract

Etymologically speaking, the word 'democracy' originates in the Greek language and means 'the people's government'. It is related to a political regime that is based on the people's sovereignty. To 'democratise', in its turn, means 'to make accessible to all classes of people; to make popular'. In this context, it seems to be very easy to make a link between democracy and the Internet, the world-wide network that has transformed the physical boundaries in the globe into mere geographical reference points. Apparently, at least, the use of the Internet may lead to the democratisation of information, as such a network makes the information that is available in electronic format widely accessible to everyone. Nevertheless, there may be some requirements for one to benefit from such access. The democratisation of information does not seem to be just a question of computer and network availability. It implies, among other things, literacy, but it even means something more than that.