Unequal access to media
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To understand how you can empower citizens and work with the youth, report a richer picture of the country, address development issues at the root, or meaningfully cater to indigenous audiences, it is important to identify the media landscape under which the indigenous people of Guatemala operate.
Guatemala is a study in contrasts. While the well off, urban population has access to the full telecommunications infrastructure and digital media, the rural indigenous populations continue to rely on traditional media. 83% of Guatemalan households own a television - but the internet penetration rate is only 34.5%. The inadequate fixed-line infrastructure has led to growth in mobile phone usage, yet the most prevalent medium of communication is the community radio.
Nevertheless, several opportunities for engagement with indigenous peoples exist. Much of the news and entertainment in Guatemala is of foreign origin - especially, Mexican-origin. Mexican businessman Ángel González, owner of the Albavisión Corporation, holds a monopoly over television and radio frequencies in Guatemala. Institutions can search for creating capacity for programming that celebrates the Maya culture and allows indigenous populations to create the content they want rather than consume foreign-origin content due to lack of choice.
Community radios continue to be a powerful tool for creating and disseminating indigenous content. They have a potential reach of 8 million people - nearly half the population - and can be used to shape rural public opinion. Community radios have the power to amplify the voices of local indigenous persons and leaders to the wider media infrastructure, especially if the content is broadcast through web applications.
Digitalization of radio is an opportunity, but the low availability of bandwidth provides a roadblock to data-intensive transmission and low degree of innovation. The two most downloaded applications are WhatsApp and Facebook. Facebook is the most used social network with 7.2 million people - or 42% of the population - owning an account with 94 percent logging in through a cell phone.
Because of the high cost of data plans and limited bandwidth, users of YouTube, Twitter, Instagram do not exceed 7% of the population. The average age of Internet users is 22.4 years old, 49.2% are men and 50.8% are women. For a successful, robust and accurate digital information landscape, organizations can consider how they can enhance the capacity and innovation of the telecommunications infrastructure in Guatemala to create a more diverse, rich and inclusive society.
