Some insights on Chilean social protests during 2011: the role of digital technologies

1. Digital and Social in Chile
What’s the real impact of ICT’s in recent social
movements and education protests?
Marcelo Luis B. Santos - @celoo

2. #1
LA PRENSA
BURGUESA
NO NOS INTERESA
(We don’t care about the burgeoise press)

3. July 14th, 2011

8. How was the event covered by mass media?

9. El Mercurio 15/07/2011
http://www.mer.cl/index.asp?fecha=2011-07-15

10. La Tercera 15/07/2011
http://papeldigital.info/lt/2011/07/15/01/paginas/001.pdf

11. LUN 15/07/2011
http://www.lun.com/default.aspx?dt=2011-07-15

12. RELEVANCE
¿How long did people march?
¿How many people were there?
¿How long was the conflict with the police?
¿How many people were involved?

13. 24 Horas Central
June 14th, 2011
24 Horas Central
June 16th, 2011
24 Horas Central
July 11th, 2011
http://www.otraprensa.com/el-encapuchado-de-tvn/

15. #1. Insights on Mass Media and
ICTs
• Mass Autocommunication (Castells) reveals
quickly media manipulation, specially when
there is massive popular presence;
• Crisis of trust on mass media;
• Trusted individuals in your circles are worth
more and more (maybe more than mass
media already). How do you all feel about it?

16. #2
TWITTER:
THE POWER OF
IMMEDIACY + VIRALITY +
GEOLOCATION + TRUSTED CIRCLES

18. First march: May 12th

19. TODAY (March 6th, 2012)
- President Piñera (@sebastianpinera): 711,534 followers
- Gobierno de Chile (@gobiernodechile): 261,801 followers

20. Turning Point: August 4th, 2011

22. Executive Secretary of Government of Chile’s Book Council
tweeted: ¨kill the dog (bitch, mother), the puppies die¨
…lost her job.

24. #2. Twitter immediacy and virality
• Spontaneity and immediacy (no mediation +
rapidity) can be revealing of the inner
feelings (or agendas!)
• If there is fertility, a social networker with
leadership has a great deal of power
• Camila Vallejo has little more than 600
tweets… what does that mean?

25. #3
GLOBALIZATION:
INTERNATIONALIZATION OF THE
IDEAS/SOCIAL DEMANDS AND
MOVEMENTS

26. Google: ¨Camila Vallejo Portada¨

27. Some final considerations/suggestions

28. ¨Repeat a lie 1,000
times...
...it becomes the truth¨

29. Facto (no judgement) Moral judgement
It rains. Rain is pretty
Naturalization
=
Public opinion
¨stability¨
=
Social Control

30. What do the following 3 have in common?

34. One simple message.
• Represent the general feeling/perception
• Gets through weak ties of the network
• Spreads quickly