Access to new media and infocommunication skills in three family generations

Abstract

New media usage it’s not possible without the individual to make use of specific skills that allows him/her the best result possible, varying from person to person. The required literacies for new media usage today are diverse and complex, associated to social, technological, economic, among other factors. Moreover, considering the multiplicity of dimensions, the concept itself has ceased to be used in singular, and assumed a plural contour since there are also multiple skills associated to it. Through the analysis of new media usage by three familiar generations (1.151 inquiries), we verify that the competencies vary from generation to generation and from media to media. The more or less frequent, the motivation to that usage, as well as the geographical location and socio- professional condition are factors that promote or not the development of digital literacies.?The goal of this paper is to discuss about the way three generations – grandparents, parents and children –, living in Portuguese rural areas, use new media. And, from that point, understand which infocommunicational skills they think they have and the differences between generations.