The human infrastructure of El Paquete, Cuba's offline internet
Michaelanne Dye, David Nemer, Josiah Mangiameli, Amy S. Bruckman, Neha Kumar · interactions · 2018
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 (WWW).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 In a small, bottom-floor apartment in the center of Havana, Cuba, a grandmother browses through rows of 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.