Paquete digital as media format for cultural consumption in Cuba: Theoretical and investigative paths in ethnographic-inspired research

Abstract

The article discusses the media consumption related to pop music among young Cubans based on ethnographic-inspired field research, conducted between 2017 and 2019 in Havana, which questions the dictates of youth studies in Latin America. Highlights the legitimization of a particular format of media, the paquete digital (“digital package”: a set of downloaded and shared files) that focuses on the debate over Internet access in Cuba, political and ideological disputes regarding the economic embargo imposed on the country and the Cuban State’s attempts to dialogue with youth. The relevance of the study lies in debating cosmopolitanism and cultural consumption in a particular economic and political context, postulating a different way of constructing ideals of modernity.