L’appropriation d’Internet chez les visiteurs des télécentres au Chili

This thesis is about the appropriation of Internet in Public Access Centers (“Telecenters”) implemented by the government and NGOs in Chile during the first years of the present century. Telecenters are part of an official public policy aiming to facilitate access to the Internet, a technology widely considered to be an important tool for development. Political authorities make reference in their discourse about the new Information society and about the necessity that individuals know how to participate adequately in this society: access and good performance in the use of information and communication technologies (ITC) - specifically Internet- would allow people to enjoy some of the benefits and advantages of this new society. Nevertheless, the government is aware that not all the population is able to afford a home Internet service, especially in rural areas; telecenters put Internet within the reach of a larger segment of the society.     From a theoretical point of view, in this thesis, we have used some notions linked to well-known studies about the uses of technologies. More specifically, we have used the ‘appropriation model’. This model proposes to study the construction of meaning that people make of the usage of one technology, in our case, of Internet. This model shows the complexity of the process by which people integrate a technology in their lives, and the personal and social factors that play a role in this process. For this approach, the social context is fundamental for understanding the construction of meaning of the uses of the technology. In our theoretical chapter we also refer to other approaches dealing with different aspects of the appropriation process: the domestication of a technology, the de Certau point of view, and the sociopolitical use point of view. Finally, we propose to consider some other factors which may have an influence on the appropriation process: the users’ representations of Internet, the social and economical context where they live, the social network they have, and their gender.    From a methodological point of view, we have utilized a qualitative approach and ethnography as a research strategy, because we wish to explore this “appropriation phenomenon” without making generalizations. We have visited five telecenters in four cities or villages in different regions of Chile. We have made observations and semi-structured interviews with users, with people in charge of centers, and also with people in charge of the networks of telecenters.       This thesis shows the complexity of the appropriation process and specifically it discusses the appropriation process in Internet public access centers. We have verified how important interpersonal relationships (social network) are: they play one of the most important roles among future visitors because they can be informed about telecenters and about the importance of computers and Internet in everyday life. They are also important in the learning process and in the first steps of the utilization of the technology. The social network is comprised of family and friends, and also of those in charge of centers. We have verified too that construction of the usage meaning of uses is closely linked to the social context and life experience of the visitors. On the other hand, we have observed that the same use doesn’t have the same meaning for all users: for some of them, chat is a leisure activity, for others, it is a personal and emotional development tool. Projections about future uses of Internet are not the same among young people and adults. For example, young people very often consider Internet as a work tool. Interpretations of the uses are sometimes different between women and men: some women interpret the use of Internet, and their participation in telecenters, as an activity which changes their typical role as homemakers. Finally, we have observed that meaning of the use is not only constructed by the immediate personal experience; the uses of others are always evaluated by visitors of centers, and these uses seem to confirm their own way of using the Internet.

Keyphrases: Appropriation, Internet, Information and communication technologies, Chile, Telecenters