Sergio Amadeu da Silveira - Cidadania e Redes Digitais

eng
c i t i z e n s h i p a n d d i g i t a l n e t w o r k s
of justice in cases that have not yet gone to trial — should be preserved.
The option for government transparency can also be applied to other social segments,
such as the intellectual production in universities, which generally have their
research projects funded by public agencies, and non-governmental organizations,
which benefit from various kinds of tax incentives — that is, segments that count on
public funding. If intellectual production somehow counted on government support,
it should opt for licenses and patents which guarantee its socialization. Moreover,
even private companies could be motivated to share more information within
a more comprehensive vision of social responsibility and local action.
Decisions, dreams and limits
As a provisional synthesis for the ideas that are proposed here, it is undeniable
that the emergence of new media, new interfaces, and new forms of connection between
people causes more or less profound alterations in every sector of society. The
scenario is uncertain. Forces that oppose the freedom of communicational processes
rise up every day, generally because of the fear of losing power — or losing dying
markets. In this state of affairs, the cities are on that very edge where the current
technical period “un-installs” us, using Martín-Barbero’s expression, and makes it
possible to imagine the future (MARTÍN-BARBERO, 2004).
The radical choice for communication in urban spaces is only one of the many
decisions that have to be taken by citizens. Undoubtedly, the multiplication of the
meanings of the urban limits, contradictions, solutions and dreams will always be
essential for local development. This is not about using communication as a lifeline
for economical and political problems. However, free and universal communicational
flows should be part of any attempt of social reorganization, because they are
essential to the perception of injustices, to the development of a critical spirit and to
the search for collective solutions. In a simple and direct way, digital networks are
there to serve the goals that the city draws to itself.
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