Rock the Internet Blues! A critical view of the evolution of the Internet from civil society

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26512/rici.v13.n3.2020.33041

Keywords:

Internet, Virtual community, Social network, Information literacy, Global knowledge society, Information ethics, Egomation

Abstract

Starting from an analysis of the differences between virtual communities and social networks, a critical description is developed of how the Internet has evolved in the last 20 years towards a situation marked by the end of dialogue and the obsessive promotion of visions centered on egocentric interests. The historical singularity from which this situation was triggered is identified in Google's decision, in the early 2000s, to make advertising the focus of its business strategy and how it transformed, with the help of others Technology Giants (TG), users in user-products and then agents of their own marketing, with the use of their egomation. The paper investigates the role played by civil society specialized in global information society issues, where it has presented little resistance to the changes that have arisen along the way. In addition to representing a divorce with the shared initial utopias, this evolution is a threat with important repercussions in the non-virtual world, including the weakening of the democratic foundations of our societies. After showing some dystopian perspectives, some concrete guidelines are proposed to change course, highlighting the most important measure: that of declaring a digital emergency that contemplates massive education programs to insert citizens in the ethical challenges, the potentialities and risks of the global knowledge society and especially in what information literacy means.

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Author Biographies

Daniel Pimienta, Fundación Redes y Desarrollo, Observatorio de la diversidad lingüística y cultural en la Internet, Dominicana

Daniel Pimienta, a French citizen born in Morocco, read Applied Mathematics in Nice and hold a Ph.D. in Computer Sciences. After creating a Software House specialized in APL, he joined IBM France (La Gaude Laboratory) and worked 12 years as Telecommunication System Architect and Planner. In 1988, he joined Union Latina, in Santo Domingo, as Scientific Advisor and Head of the REDALC project for creation of a Latin America & Caribbean research and civil society network. En 1993, he launched the Networks & Development Foundation(FUNREDES), a pioneer NGO in the field of Information and Communication for Development (ICT4D) in subjects such as information literacy, info-ethics, linguistic diversity, virtual communities or user centered vision of networks. He is a board member and former Exec. Sec. of the World Network for Linguistic Diversity (MAAYA). He manages the Observatory of languages and cultures on the Internet since 1989 being a pioneer in cybermetrics and the measure of the space of languages on the Internet. He was given, in 2008, the Namur Award (IFIP WG9.2) for his comprehensive actions in the perspective of a positive social impact of ICT.

Luis Germán Rodríguez Leal, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela

Profesor-Investigador Emérito de la Universidad Central de Venezuela. Sus áreas de investigación y docencia son las tecnologías de información y comunicación para el desarrollo, la gestión del conocimiento y la educación en una sociedad globalizada. Ha sido consultor para varias organizaciones. Entre las internacionales vale mencionar Fundación Telefónica, Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD), la Comunidad Andina de Naciones, Internet Society, Funredes y el Banco Interamericano de Dersarrollo. En Venezuela la Red Académica de Centros de Investigación y Universidades Nacionales (REACCIUN), el Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología, Banco Central de Venezuela y varias otras instituciones. Autor de varios artículos publicados en libros y revistas reconocidas. Frecuentes participaciones como invitado en foros y conferencias nacionales e internacionales. Fundador del Grupo de Pensamiento e investigación Hispanoamericano “El Muelle de la Sal” - Tecnociencia, Economía y Sociedad. Transmedia Educativa (Sevilla-Caracas).

References

- D. Pimienta, “At the Boundaries of Ethics and Cultures: Virtual Communities as an Open Ended Process Carrying the Will for Social Change (the "MISTICA" experience)”. In: “Localizing the Internet. Ethical Issues in Intercultural Perspective”, Capurro, R. & al. (Eds.). Schriftenreihe des ICIE Bd. 4, München: Fink Verlag, 2005. http://www.funredes.org/mistica/castellano/ciberoteca/tematica/icie (versión en español) (Última visita 15/07/2020)

- J. G. Koomey, “Estimating total power consumption by servers in the US and the world”, Stanford University, Feb. 2007 http://www- sop.inria.fr/mascotte/Contrats/DIMAGREEN/wiki/uploads/Main/svrpwrusecompletefinal.pdf (Última visita 15/07/2020)

- Y. Eshet-Alkalai, and E. Chajut, "Change over time in Digital Literacy", Cyberpsychology & Behavior, V. 12, N. 10, 2009.

https://www.openu.ac.il/personal_sites/download/yoram-eshet/EshetandChajut2009-Changes-in-digital-literacy.pdf (Última visita 20/07/2020)

- D. Pimienta, “Digital divide, social divide, paradigmatic divide”, 1st edition of Journal of ICT and Human Development, 2009. http://funredes.org/mistica/castellano/ciberoteca/tematica/brecha_paradigmatica.pdf (versión en español) (Última visita 15/07/2020)

- Bernard Stiegler, “Le Blues du Net”, 2013, Blog “Réseaux” del periódico francés Le Monde. https://web.archive.org/web/20131102102731/http://reseaux.blog.lemonde.fr/2013/09/2 9/blues-net-bernard-stiegler/

- S. Zuboff, "The secrets of surveillance capitalism", Frankfurter Allgemeine, March, 2016 - https://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/debatten/the-digital-debate/shoshana-zuboff-secrets-of-surveillance-capitalism-14103616.html (Última visita 15/07/2020)

”“ L.G: Rodríguez Leal. “La Disrupción de las Gigantes Tecnológicas ”“ Emergencia Digital”, enero 2020. https://www.academia.edu/41701222/La_Disrupcio_n_de_las_Gigantes_Tecnolo_gicas_-_Emergencia_Digital (Última visita 15/07/2020)

- H. Chneiweiss, Entrevista en la Recherche no557, mars 2020, page 70. (en francés)

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Published

2020-09-13

How to Cite

Pimienta, D., & Rodríguez Leal, L. G. (2020). Rock the Internet Blues! A critical view of the evolution of the Internet from civil society. Revista Ibero-Americana De Ciência Da Informação, 13(3), 979–1000. https://doi.org/10.26512/rici.v13.n3.2020.33041

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 3 (2020): Revista Ibero-americana de Ciência da Informação

Section

Artigos

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Copyright (c) 2020 Daniel Daniel Pimienta, Luis Germán Rodríguez Leal

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