out yesterday, so this is from the newest
version of these Web pages.”
Although Cuba has been known for
one of the lowest Internet penetration
rates in the world, millions of Cubans
engage with digital content on a regular
basis through an informal, pervasive,
offline Internet called El Paquete
Semanal (EP), or the Weekly Package.
Up until recently, only 5 percent
of Cuba’s population had access to
the World Wide Web ( W W W).
Although access is increasing, slow
speeds and high costs persist. Despite
such barriers, there is a proliferation
of multimedia content across the
country. EP is a one-terabyte (TB)
collection of digital content compiled
DVDs looking for educational content
for her young granddaughter. At the
restaurant next door, a flat-screen
TV plays Cuban reggaeton videos as
patrons sway their hips and tap their
feet to the music. Two friends walk by,
loudly discussing the latest Game of
Thrones episode, trying to hear each
other over the beat from the music
videos. They are headed to a home
nearby to purchase a smartphone that
was advertised in an online classified
ad. “I hope the phone is still available,”
says one to the other. “We should be
fine,” says her friend. “El Paquete came
Insights
→ In Cuba, instead of relying
on technical equipment
and algorithms, the
“Internet” is populated
and sustained by a human
infrastructure.
→ People have access to
up-to-date international
entertainment content,
software, and social
media posts through an
offline, community-run
information system. I
The Human
Infrastructure
of El Paquete,
Cuba’s Offline
Internet
Michaelanne Dye, Georgia Institute of Technology
David Nemer, University of Kentucky
Josiah Mangiameli, Georgia Institute of Technology
Amy Bruckman, Georgia Institute of Technology
Neha Kumar, Georgia Institute of Technology
@INTERACTIONSMAG 58 INTERACTIONS JANUARY–FEBRUARY2019