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This article aims to discuss what we call environmental opacity, a condition of mobile instant messaging services (MIMS) that operates on the basis of end-to-end encryption systems. Utilizing WhatsApp as a specific example, the article presents two fundamental dilemmas around which some issues concerning transparency are mobilized when it comes to digital private communication. The first of them relates to how end-to-end encryption has simultaneously become an asset and a problem for democratic environments; on the one hand, protecting users’ privacy, and on the other, allowing for the circulation of misinformation and harmful content. The second dilemma deals with how this environment of opacity impacts the ethics and transparency of scholarly research focused on WhatsApp and other MIMSs. The paper also reviews an extensive body of studies that discuss the political uses of WhatsApp in different dimensions, and argues that emerging countries with large user bases, such as Brazil and India, have experienced a series of negative effects after the adoption of WhatsApp by politically oriented groups. Among the main proposals, the article suggests some measures to foster platform transparency and facilitate scientific research instead of hindering it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to analyze the use of Digital Information and Communication Technologies (DICT) and media in education in contemporary society and their influences on legal education. Such analysis is relevant in view of the changes in contemporary society and the pedagogical practices of legal education, still marked by tradicionalism, which does not always corresponding to students needs. In order to achieve the proposed objective, a bibliographical research was used through the analysis of works that address DICT, media in education and legal teaching. Based on a reflection on DICT and digital media, we discuss the use of DICT in Education, from the perspective of renowned authors, exposing various approaches and methodologies that can be adopted. Finally, we deal with the use of DICT in legal education in Brazil, briefly discussing the historical context of Law Courses and methodologies that can be used, modifying educational practices and encouraging student center role, making the student not only a consumer, but also a producer of informations, with the possibility of elaborating contents, becoming digitally included and author of his own knowledge. A difficult aspect is the teachers traditionalism and their training in the use of technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the results of the author's PhD research and analyses the performance of black women youtubers and its potential to ensure Communication Rights in digital media. The theoretical frameworks are the Brazilian laws about communication and broadcasting, the perspective of mediatization and mass self-communication, potentialized by new media, and black feminism studies. Videos and comments of four YouTube channels were analyzed based on methods as exploratory analysis and netnography. The main results were the importance of the approach of topics as beauty and aesthetics to achieve media visibility, the potential of the platform in ensure a space of dialogue to its users and lack of knowledge about racism in Brazil. These aspects are interpreted as guarantors of Communication Rights and open a path to other social groups in Latin America to exercise their citizenship through new media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Ibero-Americana de Estratégia (RIAE) is the property of Revista Ibero-Americana de Estrategia/UNINOVE and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In the passage of time from the 1960s to the 1970s, the Brazilian artist Waldemar Cordeiro (1925–1973) developed his first works in computer art by applying the mathematical concept of "derivative function." Around the same time, he organized and took part in exhibitions, and composed a series of essays envisaging that the use of digital resources would become an inevitable process for the future of information reception and artistic communication. A closer look at Waldemar Cordeiro's production, both artistic and theoretical, after almost 50 years of his first forays into the field of art and technology, is an excellent opportunity not only to revisit his trajectory, but to rewrite the history of digital art and our conception of it, locating Brazil and Latin America as situated centrally, not peripherally, in relation to the European and North American narratives. Drawing from theorists in the field of informational esthetics as well as scholars in the field of media such as Arlindo Machado and Vilém Flusser, this article seeks to demonstrate, through the analysis of Waldemar Cordeiro's theoretical–artistic productions, the relationship between his work, the field of cybernetics, and his utopian and social vision of artistic production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proliferation of conspiracy theories surrounding George Soros and the 'Globalist invasion' had been concentrated primarily in Eastern Europe, Russia and the United States. However, since Jair Bolsonaro's presidential victory in Brazil, Soros has become a target of the far-right in the country. On Soros' 90th Birthday in August 2020, the right-wing group 'Movement for Conservative Brazil' (Movimento Brasil Conservador – MBC) launched a campaign called 'International Day Against George Soros', aiming to attack the billionaire's reputation. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how this campaign worked across online platforms as a strategy to popularize the Globalism conspiracy theory in the biggest Latin American country. We aim (1) to map the dynamics of disinformation dissemination across chat apps using hyperlink analysis; and (2) to interpret conspiratorial narratives about George Soros shared on chat apps during the month of his 90th birthday. We collected messages mentioning the anti-Soros campaign in WhatsApp and Telegram public groups and channels to extract hyperlinks and domains. These websites were manually categorized in an effort to analyze which conspiracy theories about George Soros are being disseminated on chat apps in Brazil. Our results suggest an increasing cross-platform dissemination of narratives attacking Soros. This case study illustrates how the rise of a transnationally networked political right has been accompanied by an emerging alternative digital communication infrastructure through which conspiracy theories circulate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The National Curricular Common Base (BNCC) is a guiding document for Basic Education in Brazil. The Covid-19 pandemic, which broke out in 2019, brought with it a new educational scenario: the urgency of using a digital technological arsenal capable of meeting the demands imposed by social isolation resulting from the spread of the virus. Through a literature review, this article aims to establish a connection between the BNCC and the Digital Information and Communication Technologies (TDIC) with an eye on High School and having reflections on the Rio Grande do Sul scenario. A long way to go so that, in fact, public policies for digital inclusion really become effective. On the other hand, such events encourage us to reflect on how much the BNCC is, or was during its construction, synchronized with the reality of the public school and its recurring problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to changes in the demographic, and the consequent aging of the population, it is essential to disseminate ways of bringing health knowledge to the elderly population, primarily to provide active and healthy aging. Thus, this paper reports the experience of actions designed at sharing information about aging with residents of the city of Uruguaiana-RS, Brazil. For this, from the creation of the "HappyAge" project, a partnership was established between an Academic League and a local radio station, as this media reaches different segments of the population and has a prominent role in the democratization of information. The actions were carried out weekly, in a dialogue format, between two students and the radio broadcaster. The chosen topics included themes such as hypertension and diabetes, as well as less explored subjects such as mental health and sexuality in the elderly. The topic definitions occurred together with the teachers involved in the project. At the end of the project, through interaction with the listeners, via digital communication platform, it became evident that there are beneficial effects to the general community when health knowledge is shared. Furthermore, the academics involved were also positively affected, since they deepened their communicative abilities and knowledge construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Research in Education & Learning Innovation Archives (REALIA) is the property of Research in Education & Learning Innovation Archives (REALIA) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of MATRIZes is the property of Universidade de Sao Paulo, Programa de Pos Graduacao em Ciencias da Comunicacao and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Comunicação Midiática is the property of Universidade Estadual Paulista, Faculdade de Arquitetura, Artes e Comunicacao and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Iluminuras is the property of Revista Iluminuras and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Paradigma is the property of Universidad Pedagogica Experimental Libertador and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Faced with the pandemic that impacted teaching work throughout Brazil, we seek to value the voice of teachers responsible for continuing the educational process via remote teaching. Our focus is on language teachers from different teaching contexts who migrated to remote teaching in the first half of 2020. The objective of the research presented in this article was to investigate how language teachers assess the use of teaching materials and digital communication technology resources in remote classes during the social isolation imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the institutional and personal conduct involved at that time. The research included 130 Brazilian professors who answered a questionnaire in which they expressed their evaluations about the technological resources and materials used, as well as about the implementation and experience of remote teaching in their work institutions. In theoretical terms, we adopt Systemic-Functional Linguistics perspective aiming at a linguistic and social focus, and specifically we use the Appraisal System (MARTIN; WHITE, 2005; MARTIN; ROSE, 2007) to analyze the teachers' sayings. The linguistic analysis reveals attitudes of affect, demonstrating insecurity due to the uncertainty resulting from the moment and changes at work, judgment on the teachers' abilities, revealing a certain lack of preparation for the situation, and the appreciations of the precariousness of available resources and materials, in addition to feelings of tiredness, and anguish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the relationship between organizations belonging to the sharing economy and their practices, behaviors and postures in organizational communication due to the pandemic of the new coronavirus. We define the sharing economy (or collaborative economy) as the goods and services provided by the digital platforms of the network through the sharing of resources and trust. We take as a premise the compulsory digitalization that many businesses have been subjected to and we started the reflection from there. Our analysis, based on bibliographic and exploratory research, was located in brands chosen intentionally, in Brazil and Portugal, seeking to reflect on the context of covid-19 and its respective communication actions in their digital properties or in their social media profiles. We illustrated strategies for exposure and communicational visibility from March until August 2020, reaching a reflection on the urgency to act actively in social demands, characterizing them as social brands. In our understanding, a social brand has a strong presence in digital, stands out with good communication practices and, above all, has a performance strategy that goes beyond its business or direct profit not only during a period of crisis, but also aware of its social role and the impact that its responsible performance generates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista FAMECOS - Mídia, Cultura e Tecnologia is the property of EDIPUCRS - Editora Universitaria da PUCRS and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Trabalhos em Lingüística Aplicada is the property of Universidade Estadual de Campinas - Portal de Periodicos Eletronicos Cientificos and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Despite physical activity being one of the determinants of healthy aging, older people tend to become less active over the years. Maintaining physical activity levels during the life course is a motivational challenge. Digital tools have been used to change this pattern, such as smartphone applications to support physical activity; but there is a lack of in-depth research on the diversity of user's experiences, especially considering older users or non-users of information and communication technologies. Objective: Our goal was to identify requirements for designing a mobile app to encourage physical activity in a low-income community population of older people in Brazil (i.e. over 40 years old). Method: We conducted a qualitative focus group study, involving by co-design of a physical activity application (Pacer)®. Seventeen volunteers were divided into 2 focus groups of physical active and insufficiently active, and 2 further 4 subgroups in each characterised by digital engagement. The following procedures were performed: (i) baseline assessments; (ii) a focus group with physically active older people and a focus group with insufficiently active older people (iii) design activities with both groups to re-design Pacer. Results: Developing physical activity apps for older people should consider the following features: free application, simple interface, motivational messages using audio and visual information, sharing information among users, multimedia input and sharing and user customisation. In particular, we recommend that exercise apps in low-income communities be tailored to our four categories of users differing in baseline physical activity and digital engagement, to match the social and behavioural preferences we discovered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 20th century, digital games have been protagonists of the intense technological transformations that promote changes, through media convergence, in communication and learning in digital culture. In many schools, it is common for teachers to use digital games in their classes. However, they play the role of users rather than active subjects in game authoring. Thus, this article assumes that this happens, among other reasons, because teachers do not know the process of game production, that is, the game design. Our aim is to reflect on game design and teacher training, arguing that game development can broaden the use of this digital culture artifact in pedagogical practices. In order to achieve that goal, the text describes the digital game prototypes production activities (board-shaped) developed by postgraduates enrolled in Game design and Education subject, offered at the Graduate Program in Education, from Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, in 2018. For the analysis, literacy games were selected, considering the educational demands related to functional illiteracy in Brazil. We conclude that teacher training in game design — game development linked to the pedagogical planning — also contributes to the student protagonism in games authoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Sociologia & Antropologia is the property of Sociologia & Antropologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Paradigma is the property of Universidad Pedagogica Experimental Libertador and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Mediterranean Journal of Communication / Revista Mediterránea de Comunicación is the property of Revista Mediterranea de Comunicacion / Mediterranean Journal of Communication and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) techniques are employed to mediate communication with people who have communication disorders, as in cases of intellectual disability. Although there are various digital solutions that promote alternative communication options for individuals with communication disorders, only a few of them have been specifically designed or targeted to people with intellectual disability (ID). This work is motivated by the lack of AAC solutions contributing to the rehabilitation processes of individuals with intellectual disability in Brazil. The study presents a mobile-based AAC solution conceived as a tool to assist the rehabilitation process of people with ID. The design was based on user-centered design principles and accessibility standards. The System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaire was used to evaluate the solution. Four specialists and twenty-five students participated in this study. The proposed solution shows the potential educational value for professionals who assist individuals with intellectual disability in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of 3C TIC is the property of Area de Innovacion y Desarrollo, SL and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article deals with the construction and validation of the Model of Digital Competences in Distance Education (DE) entitled MCompDigEAD. It is an exploratory-descriptive research, with a qualitative approach carried out between 2014 and 2018 in Brazil, through three procedures. In the first, mapping and validation of digital competences with analysis and comparison between theoretical reference, case studies with DE students and specialists. In the second, construction of the model through four procedures: Conception, Planning, Modeling and Validation. In the third validation jointly, the Open University of Catalonia (OUC). As a result, we obtained a model composed of seven areas: introduction to digital technologies, digital communication, network information management, digital health and safety, digital citizenship and presence, digital content creation and development and transversal, divided into three digital competencies general: functional digital literacy, critical digital literacy and digital fluency, fourteen specific competences detailed through knowledge, skills and attitudes (KSA) and three levels of proficiency, initial, intermediate and advanced with use case examples. MCompDigEAD is a model for the purpose of orienting and assisting learning processes in DE, serving as a reference for different institutions in educational contexts at a distance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technological advances are increasingly rapid and it is up to the Public Administration to develop a public management environment capable of keeping up with this pace of change. Based on this scenario, this article addresses the possibilities of using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) aimed at the realization of social rights, through the direct provision of public services, using the notion of digital government. Therefore, the study is divided into three moments: first, the notion of digital government is presented based on technological advance; then, the possibilities of applying ICTs as tools aimed at providing public services in Brazil are analyzed; finally, the perspectives and challenges of this implementation are discussed, in order to conclude that the digital government corresponds to the use of information and communication technologies in the provision of public services. The research adopts the deductive method and the bibliographic research technique, through indirect documentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I discuss three theoretical issues in this essay, coming from three different authors, to come nearer and approach two effects of the Digital Information and Communication Technologies (DICT): on one side, its effect regarding reading practices; on the other one, its role in relation to the generalization of information applied to making products coming from scientific knowledge international. That scientific knowledge is produced in researches carried out by universities and research institutes. At first, considering the idea of the controversial inter-incomprehension (MAINGUENAU, 1987:1989), I intend to define - as a counterexample of that concept - what I call solipsistic reading and solipsistic ecumenism. Then, based on Foucault's criticism (1971:2004, p. 45-51) of the immanent rationality of the Western thought, reinforced, as I see it, by Bakhtin's idea (1979-1992, p. 310-311) of ending an utterance through a closure, I comment on an aspect of that criticism, relating it to the internationalization phenomenon of the scientific knowledge production in the universities of the whole world (particularly, in Brazil) nowadays. By the end, to sum up, I try to make the solipsistic ecumenism close to the standardization of the modes of saying related to the research production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Museologia e Patrimônio is the property of Museologia e Patrimonio and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Museologia e Patrimônio is the property of Museologia e Patrimonio and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Jurídica (0103-3506) is the property of Revista Juridica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Based on bibliographical sources and authorial references, this article has as purpose to gather reflections about the main characteristics of the contemporary society and their implications on the teaching and the formation in Public Relations. It analyzes the digital communication and the challenges for the formation and the professional practice. It presents a brief report on the National Guidelines of the Degree Course of Public Relations in Brazil. And, finally it highlights the need of an including and integrated formation of professionals that will act in the field of the communication in the organizations and in the building of relationships with the public opinion and the society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] The official Brazilian list includes 934 Data Deficient (DD) angiosperm species. [•] Many of these DD species are actually well-documented with abundant available data. [•] Digital Accessible Knowledge (DAK) is available for 40–54% of official DD species. [•] Many official DD species actually have considerable DAK readily available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista FAMECOS - Mídia, Cultura e Tecnologia is the property of EDIPUCRS - Editora Universitaria da PUCRS and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Cuadernos.info is the property of Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Facultad de Comunicaciones and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: The Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) system broadcasts audio in the frequency band below 174MHz . In this experiment in urban areas in Brazil, a hybrid signal composed of an analog AM signal and a digital DRM30 signal, with the same content, were broadcasted in diurnal and nocturnal transmissions. This paper describes the experimental setup, which employs the spectral shaping technique in simulcast transmission , and presents some results of medium wave propagation measurements campaigns that are being carried out in Brazil. The experiment is part of a series of field trials that are being conducted by the Brazilian Government which includes campaigns at MW, HF and VHF frequency bands. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

With the migration of Brazilian television to the digital platform, launched in 2006, the channels of public interest created after the Cable Television Law (Law 8.977/1995) are discussed again and organize themselves into networks. The main objective is to ensure space in the scenario of digital communications that begins to configure itself. In this paper, we examine the case of TV Câmara, a station of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies. From this experience, we discuss the characteristics and importance of the legislative channels in the field of noncommercial television, including the questions about the state systems and public broadcasting. The objective is to evaluate what kind of role is played by these stations: in which extent these channels are governmental and institutional, without autonomy and directed primarily to protect the image of the organs that keep them? Could be they counted, as they intended, as vehicle of public communication, which help to broaden the democratic debate and make the institutions more subject to the control of citizens and more open to popular participation? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The availability of technical resources that allow direct interaction via digital TV in Brazil provides new possibilities of analysis related to television's communicational process: this article introduces the concept of culture as a key notion to analyze two possibilities using complex and reflexive aspects. The first is related to the fact that the availability of technology does not imply its usage by the public, and the second scenario examines the impact of this technology on broadcasters. To systematize the reflections related to the interactive digital television, the article presents the analytical concept (in development) named as teledigital structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Educação is the property of EDIPUCRS - Editora Universitaria da PUCRS and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Among the most promising applications provided by interactive Digital Television Systems (iDTV) are the ones that enable TV-Sets to work as the central processing unit of a house. This is supported by the extending of iDTV common functionalities making use of its processing power not only to deal with image and audio but also to execute interactive software applications. This paper proposes a new infrastructure that allows the exchange of data from the iDTV to Home Automation devices, such as sensors, mobile devices, and so on. The integration process among the involved technologies as well as each element in the proposed infrastructure is described in details. This model is supported by Open Services Gateway initiative (OSGi), as a framework for networked devices, and the Brazilian reference middleware, Ginga. Thus it is possible to use devices services in OSGi-based Home Networks, through the Digital TV. in order to prove the model functionalities, we created validating scenarios of service management involving iDTV interaction with mobile phones and electronic sensor devices using WiFi and Bluetooth technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article concerns digital inclusion projects in developing countries and, in particular, focuses on processes of institutionalization of such projects. Three case studies are described and analysed. The first is the Akshaya telecenter project in the state of Kerala in India. The second is a community-based ICT project in a town in a rural area of South Africa. The third is the efforts of various agencies on telecenter projects in the mega-city of São Paulo in Brazil. The cases are analysed through a simple theoretical schema derived from institutional theory. The analyses are used to derive four key processes of institutionalization, which are argued to be of relevance to all digital inclusion projects: getting symbolic acceptance by the community, stimulating valuable social activity in relevant social groups, generating linkage to viable revenue streams, and enrolling government support. The article concludes with some theoretical, methodological, and policy implications. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Este artículo condensa una parte del marco teórico desarrollado por los autores para el análisis de la TV digital, en que se puede encontrar, además, un examen más extenso de la historia del desarrollo de esa tecnología en Brasil y en el mundo, en la perspectiva de la Economía Política de la Comunicación. En este texto se hace la opción de presentar el estado del arte de los debates sobre internet, convergencia y sus impactos sobre la economía de las telecomunicaciones y de la televisión, además de avanzar en la discusión sobre la democratización de las comunicaciones, con base en consideraciones sobre cultura y espacio público. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The basis, on which the transition process toward the digital TV in Brazil and Argentina is developing, is analyzed in this article, and there is a discussion about the possibilities that the transition presents to reestablish the market structure and the regulation model of the open TV on the Mercosur countries. The main hypothesis says that the digital TV opens a unique opportunity to reform the broadcasting model operating today, which is based on a reduced concessions number of permissions given to operators of the generalist type. At increasing the transmission capacity and facilitating the development of interactive services, both those of entertainment and educative ones, the transition toward digital TV is offered as a public policy instrument to meet key targets related to communication, as pluralism, market opening. and slenderness of the so called digital gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to describe changes in the routine of people with disabilities in face of Covid19 pandemic and the ongoing coping measures underway in the state of Alagoas, in northeast Brazil. Data from in-depth interviews with subjects marked by different experiences of visual, hearing, motor and intellectual impairment are analyzed here. Participants are part of an extension project, started in 2019, under the responsibility of the first author of this article. The project changed the routine of the university in face of the presence, circulation and engagement of bodies and minds that escape the conventions of normality in the academic space. The interactions, mediated by a series of applications of digital communication, addressed the following issues: 1) the loss of individual and/or family income resulting from the pandemic, and its impact on their material conditions of existence; 2) the emergence of new demands related to physical and mental health as well as changes in previous therapeutic strategies; 3) the characterization of access to communication technologies, the new possibilities and restrictions for maintaining extra-family bonds, such as contact with friends, participation in social mobilizations and in academic activities. In the analysis, we focused on the mutual dynamics of care, especially the engagement in support and assistance practices from family and friends. The attention to changes in the environment from the different collective demands in face of the pandemic exposes some displacements in the ways of embodying disability as well as the ability to give powerful responses to complex demands for adaptation. The intersection between different social markers of difference, like race, gender and class is also central to the identification of continuities, which involve the pre-existence of physical distance as a reality of disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]