Internet use during periods of confinement in Portugal : – the case of students of a Higher Education Institution

This article presents the results of an investigation involving students from the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu (PIV), which sought to understand the trend regarding Internet access and use by IPV students during confinement in Portugal. In this case study, a questionnaire was implemented, and interviews were conducted to collect data from 94 participants. The results show that students spent most of their days connected to the Internet to use social networks and send and receive messages. Regarding the use of devices, they preferably use their mobile phones, followed by their laptops. In the opinion of these students, the Internet stands out for having allowed them to continue with their education/work and also for having served as a solution to keep in touch with friends and family while simultaneously serving as a disseminator of information regarding the pandemic. This study’s relevance and main contribution are, among others, to allow the characterisation of habits and practices of access and use of the Internet in such a particular period as the confinements caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.