DIGITAL EXCLUSION AND EDUCATIONAL INEQUALITY: CHALLENGES FOR THE DEMOCRATIZATION OF KNOWLEDGE ACCESS IN THE BRAZILIAN INFORMATION SOCIETY

Abstract

In the information society, digital technologies have come to organize collective life, making internet access and the ability to operate these tools basic requirements for studying and exercising citizenship rights. This article examines how digital exclusion amplifies educational disadvantages in Brazil, mapping the material and pedagogical obstacles that prevent students from working-class backgrounds from accessing accumulated knowledge. Through a qualitative bibliographic and documentary review, the study reconstructs the doctrinal evolution of the right to education, maps the socioeconomic and territorial asymmetries that characterize national technological isolation, and critically evaluates the limits of public policies and Brazilian regulatory frameworks. It also discusses the ethical challenges arising from the introduction of automated platforms and artificial intelligence systems in the school environment. The study concludes that digital exclusion acts as a structural mechanism for reproducing historically rooted social fractures. Overcoming this scenario requires the legal recognition of digital inclusion as an unavailable fundamental guarantee, demanding an integrated model of centralized governance, stable funding, universalization of school infrastructure, and continuous teacher training.