Since the birth of the internet, low-income Brazilians have received little government support to help them access it. In response, they have largely self-financed their digital migration, which can be seen in the rise of internet cafés in working-class neighborhoods and families purchasing their own computers through special agreements. Juliano Spyer argues that social media is the way for low-income Brazilians to stay connected, despite systematic ridicule from the more affluent, thus suggesting that social media serves a crucial function in strengthening traditional social relations.

Juliano Spyer is a PhD candidate in the department of anthropology at UCL.