Internet en México

Mexico's Urban Areas Face the Digital Divide

By Audrey Bottjen, Research Intern
19 December 2008

Internet use in Mexico's large urban centers, which hold more than three-quarters of the country's population, has posted impressive growth since web service provision was opened up to competition in the late 1990s. But not all urban Mexicans have participated in this growth.An InterMedia survey in the country's four largest metropolitan areas, conducted in May 2008, suggests that roughly one third of city dwellers go online daily, with more than half saying that they log on at least once a week. But another large contingent (45 percent of respondents) say they have never accessed the web, with very few others reporting occasional or sporadic use. The results point to a stark digital divide among the urban residents, likely reflecting a similar income divide between those with some disposable income and those barely able to get by.As is the case in most countries, the youth have embraced the internet far more quickly than their older counterparts; nearly twice as many people 15 to 24 report "yesterday" usage of the web than do those 35 to 44. A higher level of education is also a hallmark of urban Mexican internet users: nearly four fifths of daily internet users in these areas have at least achieved some level of university education. On the other side of the coin, those with only primary school or less constitute barely one percent of daily usage. Finally, internet use is somewhat dependent on gender - almost 60 percent of daily users are males, though this decreases to only 52 percent when weekly rates are examined.

Television and radio remain the undisputed leaders in the world of media, with daily use rates at least twice as high as any other form of media in these urban centers (see figure below). However, the internet is joining the mainstream as a significant source of news, with use rates rivaling those of newspapers and word of mouth. News seekers don't only read stories online - between a quarter and a third of internet users in major urban areas report either watching or listening to news reports on the web.Fully 51 percent of Mexicans in major cities claim to access the internet in their homes, making it the most common place to go online. Internet cafes are the second most popular access point, accounting for 47 percent of internet users, followed shortly by the workplace, with 43 percent. Roughly a quarter of internet users log on at a school or university (many respondents access the internet in more than one location). The gender breakdown of most internet access points mirrors the general gender balance of internet users. The only exception is within the workplace, where women are much less likely than men to have online access. Though we can't be certain, it's possible that this reflects the fact that men are more likely to hold white collar jobs where internet service is provided, while more women work at menial jobs or the informal sector.

There are a number of internet providers in Mexico. including Telmex's Prodigy, one of the oldest and largest. Others market leaders include Cablevision, AOL, Avantel, Axtel and Terra. Other types of services currently available include broadband, wireless (Wi-Fi), and Bluetooth technologies.Though Google.com and MSN.com remain the most popular websites, interactive or consumer-generated sites give a strong showing. Examples include video-posting site Youtube.com and social networking sites Myspace.com and Hi5.com, which are especially popular among youth.