Beyond digital inclusion: Social appropriation of information and communication technologies.: An experience in Venezuela: Infocentros

Digital inclusion policies also known as policies for democratization of information and communication technology are focused on helping important popular sectors access technology and build skills. We are interested that organized communities make beneficial use of digital content to solve their problems, to create networks, to produce and disseminate content, to develop their projects, to interact with e-Government and to strengthen the self-government; that means that people may use the technology to improve their quality of life and reinforce their cultural identity and organizational processes. This is known as social technology appropriation which goes beyond digital inclusion; it is a social inclusion policy. In order to give that qualitative jump one requires changes in the educative model, with an active intervention of the communities. The experience of the Venezuelans infocentros is explained.