Student studies technology use in slums

In the slums of Victoria, Brazil, residents live in a war zone overrun by a drug cartel. The average household makes about $400 to $600 a month. Every day is challenging and uncertain.

For these people, IU School of Informatics Ph.D. student David Nemer said, technology can be the difference between life and death.

Nemer has spent the last six months in Victoria, Brazil studying the technology use of residents in the slums.  

Although many locals have cell phones, service is limited and many cannot afford a data plan.

The residents have to turn to tele-centers and LAN centers, which provide large desktop computers to use for free or at a discounted price.

These centers represent the only locations in town that are off-limits to drug lords.
Residents come to escape shootings, receive mail, safely catch up with friends and learn.

“When shootings happen, they run inside the LAN houses,” Nemer said. “It’s the only place that people go and have access to have technology, and the drug lords won’t try to get in there, because the owner will shut it down, and there’s no access to technology anymore.”

Nemer said Facebook is the main form of social networking. When it is not safe to visit their friends or family in different territories of the slums, locals count on the privacy of Facebook messaging to stay in touch with their friends and families.

Locals can also turn to these online forums for an escape from the dangerous and uncertain war zone around them.  

“I met this girl that said, ‘Sometimes I feel like screaming and asking for help, but I can’t do this on the streets,’” Nemer said. “’But I go online, and I know that someone will be online listening to me. I can read good stuff and see good stuff. I can get out of this crazy reality that I live in.’”

But they have to be careful what they post, because the drug cartels closely follow what happens online. Any status about the drug lords or drug wars could lead to serious repercussions.

Like the United States, Nemer said, he found an emerging “selfie movement” in the slums. But, unlike the U.S., the Brazilians are not trying to show off their make-up or destination for the night.

“The selfies, which are really huge, are used so they can express their emotions without being too explicit or fearing retaliation,” Nemer said. “They’ll post an angry photo on Facebook, but the drug cartel won’t know what’s going on.”

Nemer grew up in this town, but he did not visit the slums until he made it the subject of his dissertation. He lived in the wealthier portion of Victoria, where middle and upper class residents do not interact with the people of the slums.

He was told the slums were where all the bad people lived and everyone there was involved with the drug war. He described visiting the slums for the first time as a “culture shock.”

“I thought they were just poor,” Nemer said. “I didn’t think they were having all this trouble, but by looking at these peoples’ use of technology, you can identify their struggles with health care and education.”

Nemer has always been interested in how people use technology around the world, he said. After studying abroad in the U.S. in his senior year of high school, Nemer completed his undergraduate education in computer science in Brazil and a master’s in computer science in Germany.

Now, he is completing his dissertation at IU.  

Graduate student Lindsay Ems has known Nemer since 2010, when they met in a Social Informatics seminar. She describes him as funny, kind and smart, in and out of his work.

She said she admires the personal connection and involvement Nemer has in his work.

“He gets to know people one-on-one and invests a lot of himself in the work he does,” Ems said. “Because of this, I think he’s able to do things that others haven’t been able to do in the past.”

Eden Medina, Nemer’s adviser, said his work is notable in its “deeply human understanding” of how poor people in Latin America are using technology.

“We are fortunate that David brings this international perspective to the IU classroom as an assistant instructor while also raising issues of economic inequality and social justice,” Medina said.

After analyzing his research, Nemer plans to return to Brazil and work to improve the well-being of the people living in the slums. He said he wants to help them by designing a better keyboard or going to the local Congress and lobbying for more security in the slums.

Ultimately, Nemer believes that guidance and better education is key to helping the residents of the slums.

“Technology could give you more access to information, and if you turn that info into knowledge, then that’s power,” Nemer said. “But nothing will be done if they just have the technology there, and they are not turning that information for their own benefit.”