This volume focuses on the hyper-mediatization of Latin America from the citizen’s perspective, considering the social impact and how people embrace information technologies to improve their living conditions, engage in political issues and the role of digital journalism in promoting democratic values in Latin America. The book is divided into three parts: ‘Digital Media and Daily Life in Latin America’ explores cases related to the integration of digital media such as mobile devices, social platforms and, even, drones to diverse commercial, private and social activities. ‘Information technologies and civic engagement’ gives special attention to the new political practices triggered by the irruption of smartphones and platforms, especially inside organizations and social movements in Latin America. ‘Journalism and Media Integrity in the Age of Post-truth’ centers on the study of digital journalism and the new media landscape, and related issues like precarization of labor conditions and the crisis of reliability in media. This second volume in a two volume set will be important reading for scholars and students of social use of digital media in Latin America, civic engagement, and the connections between politics, journalism and technology.

This book is the first to comprehensively analyse the political and societal impacts of new Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in a region of the Global South. It evaluates under what conditions some Latin American governments and people have succeeded in taking up the opportunities related to the spread of ICTs, while others are confronted with the pessimist scenario of increased, digitally induced social and democratic cleavages. Specifically, the book examines if and how far the spread and use of new ICT affected central aims of democratic governance such as reducing socio-economic and gender inequality; strengthening citizen participation in political decision making; increasing the transparency of legislative processes; improving administrative processes; providing free access to government data and information; and expanding independent spaces of citizen communication. The country case and cross-country explore a range of bottom-up driven initiatives to reinforce democracy in the region. The book offers researchers and students an interdisciplinary approach to these issues by linking it to established theories of media and politics, political communication, political participation, and governance. Giving voice to researchers native to the region and with direct experience of the region, it uniquely brings together contributions from political scientists, researchers in communication studies and area studies specialists who have a solid record in political activism and international development co-operation.

This book analyses the arrival of emerging and traditional information and technology for public and economic use in Latin America. It focuses on the governmental, economic and security issues and the study of the complex relationship between citizens and government. The book is divided into three parts: • ‘Digital data and privacy, prospects and barriers’ centers on the debates among the right of privacy and the loss of intimacy in the Internet, • ‘Homeland security and human rights’ focuses on how novel technologies such as drones and autonomous weapons systems reconfigure the strategies of police authorities and organized crime, • ‘Labor Markets, digital media and emerging technologies’ emphasize the legal, economic and social perils and challenges caused by the increased presence of social media, blockchain-based applications, artificial intelligence and automation technologies in the Latin American economy. This first volume in a two volume set will be important reading for scholars and students of governance in Latin American, the protection of human rights and the use of technology to combat crime and the new advances of digital economy in the region.

This publication investigates the impact of modern information and communication technologies (ICTs) on Latin America. In analyzing the special characteristics of Latin America with regard to the integration of ICTs, the publication focuses on five main areas - access, regulatory framework, financing, education and the so-called soft factor.