Paper short abstract:

Recent development of cyber cafes in Cuba, has given the government a chance to showcase shifts in information access policy to the international community. However, for the average Cuban, information access still has informal and formal barriers that need to be resolved to make access a reality.

Paper long abstract:

Cuba initiated a dramatic shift in information access policy by opening doors to 118 government sponsored cyber cafes, granting unprecedented Internet access to the people of Cuba. While a bold step for the country labelled by Reporters Without Borders as an "Internet enemy," the full impact of this change in policy and government attempt at building an information society has been severely under researched. Research of cyber cafes in traditionally closed information societies has demonstrated the delicate balancing act that occurs when governments attempt to build an information society while simultaneously repudiating democratic efforts. The situation in Cuba is unique, however, because unlike previous studies the government is the initiator, developer, promoter and operator of the cyber cafes, not private entrepreneurs. In order to better understand this balancing act, this paper seeks to: 1) comparatively analyse mass media messaging strategies which attempt to persuade citizens to adopt the policy shift and 2) seek contradictions in encouraging usage by developing an understanding of the average user experience. Through this analysis, a more nuanced view of government outreach attempts and public resistance or adoption of new technologies could be developed. This research is incredibly timely considering the duality of the Cuban government's attempt to encourage access to information while at the same time embedding the online interface with reminders of the government's watchful eye, thus affecting the cyber cafe environment, and further, imprisoning political dissidents who advocate for policy changes to allow unrestricted access to information on the island.