Accéder aux ressources sociales en milieu rural : vie quotidienne et sociabilités à l’heure d’Internet dans une petite commune

This paper approaches the way Internet uses shape the accessibility to social resources in a small rural community (around 300 residents) in Brittany (west of France). By questioning inhabitants about their life path (professional path, residential trajectory, etc.), their digital practices and their mobility, we characterize the different geographical scales into which social practices are incorporated. In an inductive approach, we take into account, besides mobility, the digital opportunities to access distant social resources, and to better identify local resources. Residential and professional choices, the organization of daily life and sociability show the critical need to have a car and the importance of the Internet in order to access a wide range of social resources when living in a low density area. Social practices reveal that this rural community is strongly connected to surrounding urban poles and to the rest of the world, but they also highlight a strong appropriation of the few social resources (social ties, events, facilities, etc.) locally available.