“With new access to virtual space and to its technologies, populations and groups all around the world will seize the moment, addressing long-held grievances or new concerns, with tenacity and conviction. Every society in the future will experience different forms of protest in which communication technology are used to organize, mobilize and engage”.
In the book The New Digital Age: Reshaping the Future of People, Nations and Business, Google leaders Jared Cohen and Eric Schmidt give perspective into a world where social networks are tools to engage, communicate, and report. Individuals, organized or not, can gather support and impact social and political dialogue. People can be public or anonymous. Online personas are created and followed. The social network makes this new reality global: information spreads rapidly; access to technology grows; location becomes irrelevant; developments triggered by new forms of communication grow beyond the expectation of those whose idea it was in the first place. The concepts of a “group”, “organization”, or “structure” can take on new meanings. There are no leaders per se, but maybe influencers.
A hike in bus fares in the city of São Paolo, Brazil, turned into one of the most significant acts of protest in decades. In June, millions of Brazilians in 80 cities said no to increases in transport fares. The protests expanded to cover other issues: corruption, human rights, health care, education, the environment, and expenses for the upcoming World Cup.
The leading organization behind the protests, the Movimento Passe Livre (Free Pass Movement) started eight years ago. In an interview with the Voice of America’s Spanish website (Voanoticias.com) one of the leaders, 25-year-old Camila Bertoni, asserted that free transportation is a right. Bertoni described social media’s use to inform, make announcements, and post what the group plans. Activity of the group’s Facebook has increased dramatically since the protests’ spark, becoming a discussion forum and information tool. Postings included location of protests, or recommendations on legal counsel for those who might be detained by police. The likes on certain Facebook comments numbered in the thousands. “FIFA: Go Home”, alluding to the International Soccer Federation, had more than 1,110 likes. A posting on July 6th read: “The Favela do Moinho mobilizes to demand land property and urbanization of the community”. Numerous comments also alluded to corruption by politicians.
Microsoft Fuse Labs recently examined use of Twitter in the protests. In the post “How is the Brazilian Uprising Using Twitter”, Andres Monroy Hernandez and Emma Shapiro looked at activity between June 1st and June 22nd. Tweets peaked at 96,535 an hour on June 17th around 8:00pm, the day the Brazilian Congress was stormed. Hashtags such as #MudaBrazil (“Change for Brazil”) or #VenPraRua (“Come to the Streets”) had extensive following. Engagement was such that according to Spain’s daily El Pais, the government began to monitor Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Whatsapp.
A profile of the protesters was published by Datafolha on June 21st: 84 percent have no political preference; 77 percent have attained higher education; 22 percent are students; and 55 percent are younger than 25 years old.
This data is revealing, but so is the degree of social media activity. Facebook is the most popular website in the country, and according to the site SocialBackers, Brazil has the second highest use of Facebook (after the United States), publishing the highest number of posts of all countries. In 2013 Brazil, along with India, will have the highest expansion of social media globally.
Facebook use is also significant in Chile. The Faculty of Communication at Chile’s Catholic University and the Interactive Advertising Bureau found that 55 percent of those connected are on Facebook one hour per day. The report, published in May 2013, adds that sites such as Facebook, Youtube, Whatsapp, and LinkedIn are more popular than traditional media. Another study on Chile by SocialBackers in May 2012 points out that 28.30 percent of Chilean Facebook users are between 18-24 years old and 26.60 percent between 25-34.
Because of this engagement, scholars examined social media’s role in the 2011 Chilean student protests against the cost of higher education, bringing the issue to the forefront of the debate. “The Social Media Basis of Youth Protest Behavior: The Case of Chile”, by Sebastian Valenzuela, Arturo Arriagada, and Andres Scherman, published by the Journal of Communication in February 2012, notes: “Our analysis of Facebook use and protest behavior among 18-29 year olds in Chile demonstrated that having a Facebook account and using it frequently were positively and significantly related to participation in the protests. Facebook was thus a significant tool for youth activism, but by no means the only one or even necessarily the most important one. Online tools such as Facebook are not so much for creating new forms of protests as amplifying traditional forms of protests such as street demonstrations…online interactions can aid offline forms and citizen participation”.
Social media has also had an impact where danger is present. Microsoft’s report, “The New War Correspondents: The Rise of Civic Media Curation in Urban Warfare”, published in February 2013, followed Twitter activity during sixteen months in four cities in Mexico (Monterrey, Reynosa, Saltillo, and Veracruz) affected by drug violence. The report indicates that Twitter activity decreased or increased in relation to the degree of violence. When a casino was attacked in Monterrey on August 2011 resulting in the death of 53 people, Twitter use spiked. However, the report notes: “The same tools that help people navigate information in a troubled society also serve as valuable tools for criminals in a lawful one”, and adds a note of caution, pointing to issues such as trust, credibility, and the need to gauge quality of information.
In addition to Twitter, publications focusing on these issues have sprung up examining these issues, such as Blogdelnarco. This may be due to a need that the traditional media is not fulfilling. A New York Times article from September 24, 2011, “Mexico Turns To Social Media for Information and Survival” quoted a person named Diana @mariana_war who said, “people’s lives are saved by Twitter”, in reference to the reports about activities of drug cartels.
Even amid government censorship and repression, cyberjournalists tell their story. Cuba’s Yoani Sanchez describes herself as a blogger without internet access, tweeting via sms. Her blog Generation Y, which debuted in 2007, is read by millions in several languages. She has received numerous awards and recognitions including Spain’s prestigious Ortega y Gasset Prize. The acount @yoanisanchez has more than half a million followers. She has been harassed and detained, often becoming the target of the government’s ire. Her work is done with the help of many volunteers, and the blog hosted by a server outside Cuba. She founded Blogger Academy, where students are taught Wordpress, Twitter, and digital journalism; and she recently announced plans for a digital newspaper. All this takes place in one of the least connected countries in the world. Some independent organizations point to a three percent rate of internet connectivity in Cuba, but the government says 23 out every one hundred people are connected. Recently authorities announced that internet access would be available in 118 sites, at a cost of approximately $4.50 per hour, in a country where the median monthly salary hovers around $19.
As technology becomes more accessible, using social platforms to share information, engage, organize for a cause, alert others to danger, or crush censorship has become a reality. Individuals on Twitter, Facebook, or a blog can offer a new vision, another version of events. Loosely-defined groups and communities can create a different narrative, organize, influence public opinion, and propel change. There are always positives and negatives. Some would point to information that is not always corroborated, questioning its value. Nevertheless the social world of engagement, information, sharing, and action has taken a dynamic of its own.
Clara Dominguez is the Acting Director of the Latin America Division of the Voice of America in Washington, DC. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Political Science from the George Washington University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Miami. The views are solely the author’s and this paper does not represent the views of the Voice of America or the government of the United States.
a global affairs media network
Grassroots Goes Viral
September 23, 2013
“With new access to virtual space and to its technologies, populations and groups all around the world will seize the moment, addressing long-held grievances or new concerns, with tenacity and conviction. Every society in the future will experience different forms of protest in which communication technology are used to organize, mobilize and engage”.
In the book The New Digital Age: Reshaping the Future of People, Nations and Business, Google leaders Jared Cohen and Eric Schmidt give perspective into a world where social networks are tools to engage, communicate, and report. Individuals, organized or not, can gather support and impact social and political dialogue. People can be public or anonymous. Online personas are created and followed. The social network makes this new reality global: information spreads rapidly; access to technology grows; location becomes irrelevant; developments triggered by new forms of communication grow beyond the expectation of those whose idea it was in the first place. The concepts of a “group”, “organization”, or “structure” can take on new meanings. There are no leaders per se, but maybe influencers.
A hike in bus fares in the city of São Paolo, Brazil, turned into one of the most significant acts of protest in decades. In June, millions of Brazilians in 80 cities said no to increases in transport fares. The protests expanded to cover other issues: corruption, human rights, health care, education, the environment, and expenses for the upcoming World Cup.
The leading organization behind the protests, the Movimento Passe Livre (Free Pass Movement) started eight years ago. In an interview with the Voice of America’s Spanish website (Voanoticias.com) one of the leaders, 25-year-old Camila Bertoni, asserted that free transportation is a right. Bertoni described social media’s use to inform, make announcements, and post what the group plans. Activity of the group’s Facebook has increased dramatically since the protests’ spark, becoming a discussion forum and information tool. Postings included location of protests, or recommendations on legal counsel for those who might be detained by police. The likes on certain Facebook comments numbered in the thousands. “FIFA: Go Home”, alluding to the International Soccer Federation, had more than 1,110 likes. A posting on July 6th read: “The Favela do Moinho mobilizes to demand land property and urbanization of the community”. Numerous comments also alluded to corruption by politicians.
Microsoft Fuse Labs recently examined use of Twitter in the protests. In the post “How is the Brazilian Uprising Using Twitter”, Andres Monroy Hernandez and Emma Shapiro looked at activity between June 1st and June 22nd. Tweets peaked at 96,535 an hour on June 17th around 8:00pm, the day the Brazilian Congress was stormed. Hashtags such as #MudaBrazil (“Change for Brazil”) or #VenPraRua (“Come to the Streets”) had extensive following. Engagement was such that according to Spain’s daily El Pais, the government began to monitor Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Whatsapp.
A profile of the protesters was published by Datafolha on June 21st: 84 percent have no political preference; 77 percent have attained higher education; 22 percent are students; and 55 percent are younger than 25 years old.
This data is revealing, but so is the degree of social media activity. Facebook is the most popular website in the country, and according to the site SocialBackers, Brazil has the second highest use of Facebook (after the United States), publishing the highest number of posts of all countries. In 2013 Brazil, along with India, will have the highest expansion of social media globally.
Facebook use is also significant in Chile. The Faculty of Communication at Chile’s Catholic University and the Interactive Advertising Bureau found that 55 percent of those connected are on Facebook one hour per day. The report, published in May 2013, adds that sites such as Facebook, Youtube, Whatsapp, and LinkedIn are more popular than traditional media. Another study on Chile by SocialBackers in May 2012 points out that 28.30 percent of Chilean Facebook users are between 18-24 years old and 26.60 percent between 25-34.
Because of this engagement, scholars examined social media’s role in the 2011 Chilean student protests against the cost of higher education, bringing the issue to the forefront of the debate. “The Social Media Basis of Youth Protest Behavior: The Case of Chile”, by Sebastian Valenzuela, Arturo Arriagada, and Andres Scherman, published by the Journal of Communication in February 2012, notes: “Our analysis of Facebook use and protest behavior among 18-29 year olds in Chile demonstrated that having a Facebook account and using it frequently were positively and significantly related to participation in the protests. Facebook was thus a significant tool for youth activism, but by no means the only one or even necessarily the most important one. Online tools such as Facebook are not so much for creating new forms of protests as amplifying traditional forms of protests such as street demonstrations…online interactions can aid offline forms and citizen participation”.
Social media has also had an impact where danger is present. Microsoft’s report, “The New War Correspondents: The Rise of Civic Media Curation in Urban Warfare”, published in February 2013, followed Twitter activity during sixteen months in four cities in Mexico (Monterrey, Reynosa, Saltillo, and Veracruz) affected by drug violence. The report indicates that Twitter activity decreased or increased in relation to the degree of violence. When a casino was attacked in Monterrey on August 2011 resulting in the death of 53 people, Twitter use spiked. However, the report notes: “The same tools that help people navigate information in a troubled society also serve as valuable tools for criminals in a lawful one”, and adds a note of caution, pointing to issues such as trust, credibility, and the need to gauge quality of information.
In addition to Twitter, publications focusing on these issues have sprung up examining these issues, such as Blogdelnarco. This may be due to a need that the traditional media is not fulfilling. A New York Times article from September 24, 2011, “Mexico Turns To Social Media for Information and Survival” quoted a person named Diana @mariana_war who said, “people’s lives are saved by Twitter”, in reference to the reports about activities of drug cartels.
Even amid government censorship and repression, cyberjournalists tell their story. Cuba’s Yoani Sanchez describes herself as a blogger without internet access, tweeting via sms. Her blog Generation Y, which debuted in 2007, is read by millions in several languages. She has received numerous awards and recognitions including Spain’s prestigious Ortega y Gasset Prize. The acount @yoanisanchez has more than half a million followers. She has been harassed and detained, often becoming the target of the government’s ire. Her work is done with the help of many volunteers, and the blog hosted by a server outside Cuba. She founded Blogger Academy, where students are taught Wordpress, Twitter, and digital journalism; and she recently announced plans for a digital newspaper. All this takes place in one of the least connected countries in the world. Some independent organizations point to a three percent rate of internet connectivity in Cuba, but the government says 23 out every one hundred people are connected. Recently authorities announced that internet access would be available in 118 sites, at a cost of approximately $4.50 per hour, in a country where the median monthly salary hovers around $19.
As technology becomes more accessible, using social platforms to share information, engage, organize for a cause, alert others to danger, or crush censorship has become a reality. Individuals on Twitter, Facebook, or a blog can offer a new vision, another version of events. Loosely-defined groups and communities can create a different narrative, organize, influence public opinion, and propel change. There are always positives and negatives. Some would point to information that is not always corroborated, questioning its value. Nevertheless the social world of engagement, information, sharing, and action has taken a dynamic of its own.
Clara Dominguez is the Acting Director of the Latin America Division of the Voice of America in Washington, DC. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Political Science from the George Washington University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Miami. The views are solely the author’s and this paper does not represent the views of the Voice of America or the government of the United States.
