Abstract

The paper discusses the development of cybercampaigns in America Latina inside the political and democratic transformations during the recent decades, as well as the dawn of socialization using telecommunications and new informational technologies which has been observed in the region.

We analyze the case of six countries of the region (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela) that are using telecommunications and the new informational technologies as part of central strategies in political campaigns. It also discussed the potentials and limits of such campaigns. We conclude that cybercampaigns in Latin America are consolidated: their development advances in giant steps. However, this type of campaigns has its limitations for achieve its objectives, due to the low-educated electorate, disappointed in political class.

Abstract

Los medios sociales, o web 2.0, permiten a los ciudadanos producir contenidos e informaciones. Sin embargo, no todos acceden por igual a estos beneficios. Esto genera la emergencia de desigualdades digitales y la aparición públicos vulnerables. Nuestro objetivo es estudiar la incidencia de la educación, los ingresos económicos y la frecuencia de utilización de las tecnologías en la capacidad de los ciudadanos de producir contenidos políticos en los medios sociales en España. La metodología se basa en el análisis secundario de datos a partir de la aplicación del método estadístico a una encuesta cuantitativa (n=2.444). Los resultados revelan que la creación de contenidos políticos por parte de los ciudadanos depende de la educación y la intensidad de uso de las redes digitales, aunque no tanto del nivel de ingresos. Estos datos realizan una aportación significativa y novedosa al conocimiento de los factores que determinan la desigualdad digital.AbstractSocial media, or web 2.0, allows citizens to produce content and information. However, not everybody has the same access to these benefits. This causes the emergence of a digital divide and the appearance of vulnerable sectors. We study the effect of education, financial income, and the frequency of technology use on the capacity of citizens to produce political content on social media in Spain. The methodology is based on a secondary analysis of data, whereby a statistical method was applied to a quantitative questionnaire (n=2,444). The results reveal that citizens’ creation of political content depends more on education level and frequency of digital network use, rather than on income levels. This data provides a significant and novel contribution to the awareness of factors that determine digital inequality.

Abstract

Social media, or web 2.0, allows citizens to produce content and information. However, not everybody has the same access to these benefits. This causes the emergence of a digital divide and the appearance of vulnerable sectors. We study the effect of education, financial income, and the frequency of technology use on the capacity of citizens to produce political content on social media in Spain. The methodology is based on a secondary analysis of data, whereby a statistical method was applied to a quantitative questionnaire (n=2,444). The results reveal that citizens’ creation of political content depends more on education level and frequency of digital network use, rather than on income levels. This data provides a significant and novel contribution to the awareness of factors that determine digital inequality.