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The Reality of Virtual Reality: The Internet and Gender Equality Advocacy in Latin America

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Elisabeth Jay Friedman
Elisabeth Jay Friedman*
Affiliation:
University of San Francisco
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Abstract

This article examines the internet's potential to democratize gender equality advocacy in Latin America. Based on field research in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico, it challenges the assumption that the internet's horizontal organization and widespread dissemination inherently or inevitably lead to greater democratization. It advances two interrelated arguments. First, the internet's potential to foster democratic relations and effective strategies in civil society depends on the consciousness with which advocates adopt, share, and deploy the technology. Second, the internet is a critical resource for marginalized or socially suspect groups and subjects, providing a unique means to express and transmit often ostracized ideas and identities.

Type
Research Article
Information
Latin American Politics and Society , Volume 47 , Issue 3 , Fall 2005 , pp. 1 - 34
Copyright
Copyright © University of Miami 2005

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