Rescuing the media in emerging democracies through ICT

Abstract

Several studies have shown the efficiency and pitfalls of ICT for mediating collective communication during political upheavals. However, little literature exists on understanding how the diversity of content generated through ICT empowers a free press when traditional media channels fail to expose the truth and promote public debate. This research aims to broaden our understanding of how ICT facilitate the exposure and interpretation of conditions in government institutions that go against public moralities – interpretations with the potential to mobilise thousands of individuals to protest. We engaged in an in-depth qualitative research using data from the Twittersphere. We conducted our study in the context of a Guatemalan tragedy in which 41 girls living in a state care home lost their lives. Our contribution to the literature is the understanding of how ICT enables the collective construction of meaning powerful enough to mobilise thousands of individuals in protest.