Social Movements on the Net FROM ALAI
In the new scenario of social reactivation experienced in Latin America, we are seeing the growth of networks and social coordinations that bring together actors who are seeking to break out of the isolation of their specific struggles. The need to share, coordinate and disseminate their actions and proposals has lead them to appropriate the Internet. But they find that taking optimal advantage of this instrument demands a deeper understanding of its logics and peculiarities.
As a contribution to an understanding of these issues, the Agencia Latinoamericana de Informacion (ALAI) has published the book "Social Movements on the Net" by authors Osvaldo Leon, Sally Burch and Eduardo Tamayo.
The first part of the book adds to the public debate on the role of the new information and communications technologies (ICTs), with a critical look at the promotional hype that presents these technologies as the panacea for development problems. Contrasting the pretensions of this discourse with the realities, it foresees a true potential for these technologies, but also its difficulties and dangers.
The second part presents an exploratory study of Internet use in social organizations regarding uses and benefits, motivations and perceptions, and its social-organizational and communicational implications. The member organizations of the Web Community of Social Movements participated in this study.
The findings of this study highlight the relevance of adjusting their functions to deal with the rapid transition from lack of information to a situation of information overload. Likewise, they suggest that an optimal use of these technologies requires defining of communications policies.
The book, which also comes in a Spanish version, is available in printed format and on the Internet.