Inequalities in the appropriation of digital spaces in metropolitan areas of Latin America

This article discusses the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the capacity of people to achieve the kind of life they have reason to value, and how the existence of digital inequality, related to sociodemographic characteristics, can limit that capacity in three Latin American capitals. The analysis was made after building an Informational Richness Index (IRI) that incorporates information on the three barriers that restrict people to make meaningful use of the Internet: Access, the skills to use ICT and the capabilities and confidence to engage in digital environments. It is found that characteristics such as gender, occupation, age and household spending level are related to horizontal inequalities in the appropriation of ICT; also, the gaps generated by the differences in age are the most important.