There has been a lot of talk about how new media technologies can bring social change. The Zapatista rebellion in Chiapas, Mexico, is an example of the way a local movement can transcend national borders and connect thousands of supporters worldwide through enhanced communication channels. My video below demonstrates this dynamics:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcuGdj0x_os&hl=en_US&fs=1&]
The international support network that the Zapatistas built didn’t remain only in the virtual world. It transcended the cyberspace and turned into a series of very specific physical actions--U.S. and Canadian nongovernmental organizations reached out to the Mexican NGOs; Italian governmental figures signed letters demanding a peaceful resolution between the Zapatistas and the Mexican state; American supporters organized aid caravans and collected donations and materials for the impoverished communities in Chiapas.
Though there is a lot of space for improvement and progress, the first steps have been made. The international community can raise awareness with the click of a mouse. As Zapatista’s spokesperson Subcommandante Marcos said, "The fact that this type of news has sneaked out through a channel that is uncontrollable, efficient and fast is a very tough blow. The problem that anguishes Gurria is that he has to fight an image he cannot control from Mexico, because the information is simultaneously everywhere."