Now showing items 1-4 of 4

    • Incidencia de las TIC en la Comercialización de los Productos de las Comunidades Rurales Indígenas en el Ecuador

      Lupien, Pascal (Canadian Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies, 2019-11-25)
      Given the fact that many Indigenous communities produce various types of products, the use of ICTs to promote and sell their goods could provide them with important income and thus increase their economic independence. Although a growing number of researchers are studying the use of ICTs in social movements, we still know little about the impact of ICTs on the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. This article therefore addresses the following questions: What is the impact of ICTs on the commercial activities of indigenous organizations? and In what ways do ICTs strengthen or hinder their ability to achieve economic independence? We respond to these questions through examining the use of ICTs by civil society organizations in Ecuador. We note that while there are advantages and disadvantages, Indigenous communities are unable to overcome the challenges they face with respect to using ICTs for commercial purposes.
    • Indigenous Movements, Collective Action, and Social Media: New Opportunities or New Barriers?

      Lupien, Pascal (SAGE Open, 2020-04)
      Indigenous peoples remain among the most marginalized population groups in the Americas. The decline of the Indigenous protest cycle in Latin America by the mid-2000s meant that research on collective action turned elsewhere just as the use of social media was becoming more prominent in the tactical repertoire of collective action, and we know little about how Indigenous groups have adapted new technologies for the purpose of civic engagement. If social media has begun to take the place of disruptive action (the most effective tactics in the 1990s according to Indigenous leaders), if personalized action is replacing collective identity (a strength of the Indigenous movements in the 1980s–1990s) and if their access to technology is limited, what does this mean for the ability of Indigenous communities to pursue their claims? Based on 2 years of fieldwork, this article addresses this question from the perspective of Indigenous organizations in three Latin American countries, Bolivia, Chile, and Ecuador. We find that some Indigenous organizations have benefited from the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in terms of enhanced communication, access to information, visibility, interest promotion, and commercialization of products and services. At this point in time, however, it appears that the disadvantages outweigh the benefits.
    • Use of Information and Communications Technologies by Indigenous Civil Society Organizations in Ecuador

      Lupien, Pascal (Information, Communication and Society, 2019)
      Indigenous peoples are among the most marginalized population groups in the Western Hemisphere. In Latin America, they have engaged in diverse forms of collective action with varying degrees of success. Previous research has studied the “traditional” social movement strategies used by some of the more successful groups. We know relatively little, however, about how Indigenous groups use information and communication technologies (ICTs) to pursue their goals and engage in civic participation. While a growing number of researchers are studying the use of ICTs for the purpose of mobilization, recent studies on the use of technology by social movements tend to focus on a handful of high-profile Western cases of large-scale mobilization. Transnational NGOs have worked with Indigenous organizations to transfer technology and help set up webpages, social media accounts and hardware but we still know little about how they are being used and in what direction these technologies affect the power relationship in this very distinct social and political context. This study fills some of the gaps in our knowledge by looking at how Ecuadorian Indigenous organizations are using ICTs, the barriers they face and the factors that enhance or diminish their capacity to use technology effectively. It finds that while there are benefits and disadvantages, the barriers these groups face with respect to ICTs may be tipping the balance of power away from Indigenous movements.
    • Fair Copyright for Canada: Lessons for Online Social Movements from the First Canadian Facebook Uprising

      Haggart, Blayne (Cambridge University Press, 2013-12)
      Despite their growing importance, the political effectiveness of social media remains understudied. Drawing on and updating resource mobilization theory and political process theory, this article considers how social media make “political engagement more probable,” and the determinants of success for online social movements. It does so by examining the mainstreaming of the Canadian “user rights” copyright movement, focusing on the Fair Copyright for Canada Facebook page, created in December 2007. This decentralized, grassroots, social media-focused action – the first successful campaign of its kind in Canada and one of the first in the world – changed the terms of the Canadian copyright debate and legitimized Canadian user rights. As this case demonstrates, social media have changed the type and amount of resources needed to create and sustain social movements, creating openings for new groups and interests. Their success, however, remains dependent on the political context within which they operate.