Dotmocracy: Crowdsourcing, Mashups, and Social Change.

Through breakthroughs in Web 2.0 technology a new form of digital democracy has emerged where the divide between media producers and consumers dissolved and citizen media rules. While before citizens had to rally for mainstream media attention to catch the ears of politicians, now it is easier ever than before for citizens to launch awareness campaigns and get their message heard by the masses. Even more importantly, new advances in digital publishing mean that we now have advance systems of filtering and prioritizing data collectively. A new passion economy has emerged, that has put news production and distribution back in the hands of the people. Sites like Wikipedia put citizens in charge of fact checking and knowledge production. Online users can choose what news they want to receive through RSS feeds, and can easily forward newsworthy items onto their friends and share them over social networks like Facebook. While media conglomerates have long monopolized media production into an industry, online culture has reclaimed the news media in such a way that everyone’s voice counts, and the potential for wide scale participation and collaboration is greater than ever. The old feminist adage, “the personal is political” rings true, as online communication means that even what you’re having for breakfast can be newsworthy. Yet has this proliferation of online media been accompanied an influx of garbage and spam? How do we sort through all the voices, let alone know that they are credible sources? What does the increase in citizen produced media mean to the profession of journalism, and what are the possible limitations of de-professionalizing news? Does more voices necessarily mean more democracy? This eBook will answer these questions and more, specifically exploring how online culture has changed the face of the news and democracy.

(more…)

Global New Media Hegemonies: Latin American Youth and Social Change

lucha libre

In this paper I outline the transformative power of new media technologies in Latin American contexts as tools for social change, comparing examples of youth digital activism from both Costa Rican and Panamanian contexts. Focusing on two types of Social Media, both Social Networks and Mobile Communication are examined as tools for Central American youth activists. In my conclusion I summarize the effects of national media policies, the situation of the digital divide and its effect on media democracy. The powerful nature of Citizen Media illustrates how overcoming the digital divide can produce democratic access to the media and societies’ larger institutions for social change.

(more…)

Social Networks and Youth in Central America

Social NetworksSocial Networks have moved from being a buzzword, to an essential element of global pop culture. Social Networks are online platforms that provide users with spaces to upload and share information with others on the network. They can be accessed by a series of devices, such as computers, gaming systems, cell phones, and other mobile devices. One key aspect of Social Networks is that the value of the site is amplified as users join and share more information. This phenomenon is explained by Metcalf’s Law, formulated by Bob Metcalf, founder of 3Com and inventor of Ethernet technology. Metcalf’s Law calculates that, “The value of a network is proportional to the square of the number of users of the system (n²).” This pooling of information has a powerful effect, allowing users to exchange information rapidly, communicating with thousands of people every day.

(more…)

Google Summer of Code™

this has to be the coolest thing that google has done yet. yah sure, they support the chinese government in suppressing democracy, but they support open source technology! they must not be evil!

okay enough sarcasm. this really is the coolest project that i have read about in a long time. thank you google. i mean it. we’re all going to see the benefits of this, and not only that, it’s going to give a lot of students jobs. most people work on projects like these for free, and they devote their entire lives to it. i was talking about this the other day with erin, about how it’s so weird that we can now apply for jobs like online marketing, blogging, and online community management. these used to be jobs that no one would pay for, and everyone just did out of their love for the internet, for the excitement of working together with a community of virtual strangers from all over the world. it amazes me that things that we do for fun (editing images, blogging, checking website stats, posting on message boards, etc.) we can actually get paid for.

so yes, thanks google, thank you for paying us to do what we love.

Quick Search /
Ciberactivismo, Sex and Mobiles
March 3rd, 2010

Two burritos and many avocados later my time in San Francisco is coming to a close.  The Sex::Tech conference was very inspiring and I was able to attend many sessions around using new media technology for sexual health promotion, from feminism to working with LGBTQ youth, to mass media campaigns partnering [...]

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TXT 4 HAITI
January 16th, 2010

For those of us living in Canada there are a number of options for mobile fundraising. Please encourage others to give by posting these as your status update or mass texting your contacts. Please spread the word and give back through your phone!
Text “HAITI” to “90999” on your cell phone to make an [...]

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Edit this eBook!
September 21st, 2009

As San Francisco braces itself to be the first major American city to not have a daily newspaper, the canary has sung as the death of print looks eminent. But what new frontiers do new media really offer? Can media democracy be maintained through new forms of citizen media that are more [...]

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Mobile Marketing = Revolution?
September 13th, 2009

Recently I came across this ad for koodo mobile, a Canadian brand launched by Telus in 2008 around the time when Mobile Revolutions was born. koodo sports similar sans serif sexiness in it’s branding, targeting a gen y market craving a world free of contracts and unlimited text messaging packages (although the $5 one [...]

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TakingITMobile Survey
September 10th, 2009

Are you interested in mobile communications? Want to win an iPod Touch or Shuffle? The TakingITMobile survey is looking for your input! The aim of this research is to share innovation in the field of youth mobile communications and to brainstorm projects and solutions for the TakingITGlobal platform.

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Dotmocracy: Crowdsourcing, Mashups, and Social Change.
March 9th, 2009

Through breakthroughs in Web 2.0 technology a new form of digital democracy has emerged where the divide between media producers and consumers dissolved and citizen media rules. While before citizens had to rally for mainstream media attention to catch the ears of politicians, now it is easier ever than before for citizens to launch awareness [...]

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Save Our Net!
February 23rd, 2009

Tell The CRTC you want Internet Freedom!

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Toronto 2.0!
January 31st, 2009

In a corner of his wife’s office in the Centre for Social Innovation, in an old red pile on Spadina, Mark Surman is trying to find a spot quiet enough for a phone interview.
“Tonya, can I sit here or will I drive you guys nuts?” he asks above clattering keyboards.
“You’ll drive us nuts, but we [...]

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TakingITMobile Working Group
January 22nd, 2009

This project is a working group for TakingITGlobal members who are interested in mobile communications. The aim of this working group is to share innovation in the field of youth mobile innovation, and to brainstorm projects and solutions for the TakingITGlobal platform. By sharing examples of mobile innovation, we can examine ways of building mobile [...]

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This is the RMX: Copyright and Community Media
January 17th, 2009

As a cultural worker I have worked in many community media projects where issues of copyright continuously emerge.  Those who are new to the practice of community media may be questioning exactly what it refers to.  Community Media is the practice of a group of non-media experts from a specific community create a collaborative media [...]

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Global New Media Hegemonies: Latin American Youth and Social Change
July 26th, 2008

In this paper I outline the transformative power of new media technologies in Latin American contexts as tools for social change, comparing examples of youth digital activism from both Costa Rican and Panamanian contexts. Focusing on two types of Social Media, both Social Networks and Mobile Communication are examined as tools for Central American youth [...]

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Social Networks and Youth in Central America
July 25th, 2008

Social Networks have moved from being a buzzword, to an essential element of global pop culture. Social Networks are online platforms that provide users with spaces to upload and share information with others on the network. They can be accessed by a series of devices, such as computers, gaming systems, cell phones, and other mobile [...]

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Mobile Warriors: Costa Rican Youth, Mobile Phones and Social Change
July 24th, 2008

Globally 1.5 billion people have access to televisions, and 1 billion to the Internet; yet overall the most actively used electronic gadget is the mobile phone, with over 3 billion users worldwide. Reaching the 4 billion mark before the end of 2008, that equals to approximately one cell phone for every two human beings. Under 30-years in existence, cell phones are one of the most rapid developing technology the world has ever known. According to Touré, Secretary General of the ITU, “The fact that 4 billion subscribers have been registered worldwide indicates that it is technically feasible to connect the world to the benefits of ICT and that it is a viable business opportunity.” According to Touré, “Clearly, ICTs have the potential to act as catalysts to achieve the 2015 targets of the MDGs.”

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Telecommunications: Hegemonic Landscapes for Resistance
July 23rd, 2008

When looking at new media communication, it is clear that across class, race, and gender, the digital divide is still apparent. Yet everyday youth are working to bridge these gaps by seizing the means of communication, and creating alternative networks, brainstorming new functions that CEOs had never dreamed possible. Yet as innovations in Citizen Media [...]

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So, what do you do?
July 13th, 2008

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Wireless Revolutions in Canada?
July 12th, 2008

Today the Globe and Mail came out with an article iQUAKE, going over some basic wireless statistics; 10.1 billion text messages sent in Canada in 2007, 81% of worldwide mobile phones will be equipped with cameras by 2010, and 1.15 billion phones sold worldwide last year, up 16% from the previous year.
There is no doubt [...]

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Copywrite Criminals
June 21st, 2008

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International AIDS Conference 2008
June 17th, 2008

I am really excited for the International AIDS Conference! I was at the conference when it was in Toronto in 2006 and it was such an amazing experience to hear everyone’s struggles in battling HIV/AIDS.

I look forward to checking out the resources on the youth site, and getting to know the stories of those [...]

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Super Monkey Ball? I hope you’re kidding…
June 10th, 2008

 
Looks like the iPhone hasn’t come far. Faster internet, more contracts, a few new applications that don’t really rival the ones that us Jailbreakers already have. Many of the applications did blow me away I have to admit. The blogging app was very impressive, as well as Loopt, an app that networks [...]

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Digital Epistemologies
May 12th, 2008

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Going Mobile
May 8th, 2008

So, I must admit, this is the second post I’ve made from a mobile device. It is definately a challenging and doable feet. More and more frequently activists and NGOs are harnessing these technological devices in order to coordinate everything from large scale mobilizations to healthcare revolutions. Mobile phones are now even being equiped with [...]

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Visual Literacy
May 5th, 2008

 
David Gray from XPLANE blows our minds once again. With a world now approaching more cell phone users than literate people, it is vitally important that we begin to explore new ways of communicating in the digital age. Interesting fuel for your mind!

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Networking our way to Social Change
April 7th, 2008

 
Social Networks have moved from being a buz word, to an essential element of global pop culture. From India to Brazil, youth, artists, musicians, businesses, politicians, and not for profits are embracing these new technologies in order to spread their influence and reach new audiences. Yet as Social Networking becomes more popular, the array of [...]

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MySpace on Rogers: Possibly the worst telecommunications move ever
September 7th, 2007

Instead of taking time to broker a deal with Apple to secure the new iPhone for the Fall, Rogers has taken a horrible turn by contracting a new service with MySpace, bringing the social networking site into the cellular world. I cannot imagine what this would look like. Words that come to mind [...]

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This is the RMX!
June 26th, 2007

There is a new workshop in the mix. I have been tossing out some emails as of late, brainstorming for a possible workshop for Youth Action Network’s Anti-Racist Summer Series training. I proposed doing a workshop with a similar theme to the my call out for the King Kong Remix Project. The [...]

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ComPoluting
June 15th, 2007

 
Mr. Jobs just put out a whole new range of products, unveiling Leopard, a whole new range of collaborations, applications, and let us not forget the iPhone coming out late this month. I’m watching the Keynote right now, and he’s going on and on about how great Apple computer is…. what he’s [...]

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(Pro)sumers
June 15th, 2007

 
This blew my mind! A poca madre.

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Net Generation
June 12th, 2007

 
I created this post for the TakingITGlobal’s Net Generation Video Contest.  I submitted late, so I didn’t end up getting a prize, but I did get a $100 gift certificate to Amazon.  I made the video on my experiences as a Netcorps Intern for Defensa de Niñas y Niños Internacional Costa Rica.  My friend Erin [...]

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Do you have a Facebook?
June 12th, 2007

 
Have you ever thought about what Facebook does with your personal information? Well, they sell it to marketing corporations. The knowledge databases that are building up online are relatively rich, and web communities and social networking sites are taking advantage of the relative lack of laws around this subject. Web 2.0 users [...]

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iPod File Sharing
May 3rd, 2007

today has been one of those spring cleaning days. and in my spring cleaning, i am picking up pieces of technology and playing with them again. i got to play with my isight a couple of days ago, and now it’s time to tackle the ipod. problem is my nano is in [...]

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Web 2.0 – How is the new internet changing global youth culture?
March 31st, 2007

so i have to admit, i’ve been sucked in. online communities have existed since the advent of the internet, starting with dial-up bbs forums, moving on to irc, forums, webrings, etc. when we look back at the short history of the internet, we can see that it’s always been and always will [...]

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Online Social Networking and NGOs
March 29th, 2007

lately i have been doing a lot of reading on web 2.0, and social networking sites, but not a lot of writing. i’ve been so busy with finishing the new website and organizing training sessions that it is hard to find time. the workshop that i did at defensa de niñas y niños [...]

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Google Summer of Code™
March 21st, 2007

this has to be the coolest thing that google has done yet. yah sure, they support the chinese government in suppressing democracy, but they support open source technology! they must not be evil!
okay enough sarcasm. this really is the coolest project that i have read about in a long time. thank [...]

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Ten Tips for Writing a Blog Post
March 11th, 2007

i had this sent to me when we were signed up to do a video blog with the world aids forum last september. while i don’t follow all of it, i thought it might be interesting to share. the original post is from ProBlogger.net.
The following post was submitted by Lyndon from Flockblog [...]

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