Latin American Struggles| Challenging Mainstream Media Systems Through Social Media: A Comparative Study of the Facebook Profiles of Two Latin American Student Movements

Authors

  • Lazaro M. Bacallao-Pino University of Chile

Keywords:

social media, collective action, mainstream media, Latin American student movements, Chile, Mexico

Abstract

This article analyzes social movements’ appropriations of social media for challenging mainstream media systems. The study includes two recent Latin American student movements: the Mexican movement #YoSoy132 and the Chilean student movement. A quantitative-qualitative methodology was used to compare their appropriations of social media, which included a statistical analysis of the Facebook profiles of both movements during a selected period of time and Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis of the contents posted and interviews with participants. The findings indicate that there are some relevant specific trends in the appropriation of social media for this specific purpose, mediated by dimensions such as the demands, goals, political communication context, online or offline nature of the mobilization, and organizational characteristics of the movement.

Author Biography

Lazaro M. Bacallao-Pino, University of Chile

Lázaro M. Bacallao-Pino is a postdoctoral fellow at the ICEI-University of Chile (FONNDECYT Program). He earned his PhD in Sociology at the University of Zaragoza in 2012. His main research interests include communication and power relationships, as well as social movements, mainly their communication dimension and the use of ICTs.

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Published

2015-11-16

Issue

Vol. 9 (2015)

Section

Special Sections

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