Social rights and public policies in the digital age

Abstract

This article analyzes the relationship between social rights and public policies in the digital age, in light of the 1988 Federal Constitution and the challenges posed by the information society. The study begins with the constitutional provision for social rights (Article 6 of the 1988 Constitution), highlighting their nature as fundamental rights and their direct link to human dignity. It then examines the impacts of the digital age on these rights, addressing digital exclusion as a new dimension of social inequality, the centrality of digital education, transformations in the world of work, and the advances and risks of digital health. In the final part, the article discusses the formulation of digital public policies, structured around three axes: digital inclusion (universalization of the internet, technological training, and accessibility); addressing challenges such as fake news, algorithmic manipulation, and unequal access; and the role of the State and civil society in the democratic regulation of the digital environment. It is concluded that the effectiveness of social rights in the 21st century depends on the consolidation of digital citizenship, which will only be possible through robust public policies, updated regulatory frameworks, and multi-sectoral governance committed to social justice. Thus, social rights in the digital age must be understood as interdependent rights, whose protection demands not only formal guarantees, but also the construction of material and technological conditions that ensure the dignity of the human person in its fullness.