Use of information and communications technologies by Indigenous civil society organizations in Ecuador

ABSTRACT

Indigenous peoples are among the most marginalized population groups in the Western Hemisphere. In Latin America, they have engaged in diverse forms of collective action with varying degrees of success. Previous research has studied the ‘traditional’ social movement strategies used by some of the more successful groups. We know relatively little, however, about how Indigenous groups use information and communication technologies (ICTs) to pursue their goals and engage in civic participation. While a growing number of researchers are studying the use of ICTs for the purpose of mobilization, recent studies on the use of technology by social movements tend to focus on a handful of high-profile Western cases of large-scale mobilization. Transnational NGOs have worked with Indigenous organizations to transfer technology and help set up web pages, social media accounts and hardware, but we still know little about how they are being used and in what direction these technologies affect the power relationship in this very distinct social and political context. This study fills some of the gaps in our knowledge by looking at how Ecuadorian Indigenous organizations are using ICTs, the barriers they face and the factors that enhance or diminish their capacity to use technology effectively. It finds that while there are benefits and disadvantages, the barriers these groups face with respect to ICTs may be tipping the balance of power away from Indigenous movements.

KEYWORDS:

• ICTs
• social movements
• collective action
• Internet and political organization
• communication and identity
• power
• Indigenous peoples
• Latin America

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Pascal Lupien holds a PhD in Political Science. He teaches in the Latin American and Caribbean Studies programme, College of Arts at the University of Guelph and is a Research Fellow at the Balsillie School of International Affairs. E-mail: plupien@uoguelph.

Gabriel Chiriboga holds the title of Engineer in Social Planning and Development from the Universidad Técnica del Norte (UTN) in Ibarra, Ecuador. He works as a researcher at the UTN. E-mail: [email protected].

ORCID

Pascal Lupien http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6698-9910

Notes

1 Interview, Ibarra (Imbabura), 14 September 2016.

2 Interview, Cotacachi (Imbabura), 27 July 2016.

3 Interview, Ibarra (Imbabura), 14 September 2016.

4 Interview, Cayambe (Pichincha), 26 July 2016.

5 Interview, Riobamba (Chimborazo), 12 October 2016.

6 Interview, Riobamba (Chimborazo), 12 October 2016.

7 Interview, Cotacachi (Imbabura), 27 July 2016.

8 Interview, La Esperanza (Imbabura), 27 July 2016.

9 Interview, Cotacachi (Imbabura), 27 July 2016.

10 Interview, Quito (Pichincha), 2 August 2016.

11 Interview, Riobamba (Chimborazo), 13 October 2016.