Latin American Governments Need to “Friend” Social Media and Technology, by Carl Meacham, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee staffer for Latin America and the Caribbean, October 5, 2011
“In 2011, social media usage is booming and will likely continue to do so in the coming years. Earlier this month, it was reported that Facebook now has more than 800 million active users worldwide. Likewise, Twitter reports that it has 100 million active users, which marks an 82% increase in activity from 2010. With more than 50% of the worlds population under 30 years of age, the social media and technology resources that are so popular within this demographic will continue to revolutionize communications in the future. These technologies can effect political change, improve government efficiency, and contribute to economic growth. Through the wave of demonstrations occurring in the Arab world that began in December 2010, known as the Arab Spring, the world witnessed how regular citizens can use social media and information platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Google to mobilize against repressive governments. Despite Latin Americas broad social and economic progress, many countries in the region still face challenges to democracy similar to those recently seen in the Middle East. In the extreme cases, countries like Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua are led by authoritarian leaders who curtail civil and political freedoms. But, in general, the regions governments still have much work to do to ensure the rule of law, to maintain the security of their citizens, and to address a myriad of other social challenges. Though many Latin American governments still face these problems, Latin America does have the advantage of more mobile phone subscriptions, Internet users, broadband access, and secure Internet servers than the Middle East.
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