Are information technology and cultural economy opportunities for rural areas? An assessment of a virtual community in Galicia-Spain

Resumo

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) enable diffusion and appreciation of local culture in the information society. With the emergence of ICTs, popular culture and community identity (local traditions, music, food and life style) may become digital products available in a global market, through the medium of web portals and electronic commerce systems developed as communication and place marketing strategies. In this way ICTs may become tools that facilitate communication and reinforce the cultural identity of peripheral and marginal areas. The theoretical and conceptual foundations that enable the establishment of relationships between ICTs and the shaping of cultural economies on a local scale are outlined in this paper. A pilot survey conducted in a rural Galician municipality, in North West Spain, illustrates the potential of such an approach.