In early March I watched young people gather in Mexican presidential candidate Josefina Vazquez Mota's campaign house, talking animatedly about the role Twitter would play in Mexico's election.
I published an article with The Atlantic in which I explained:
"Young voters in Mexico are an educated, urban, and technologically savvy group. They are also more likely than their parents to be independent, not affiliated with any political party. So, all the main candidates in Mexico's election are turning to social media, mostly Facebook and Twitter, in an attempt to reach out directly to the youngest segment of voters. The major parties are also seeking to recruit young members and win their loyalty through youth focused political action groups. Nobody is certain what effect the youth vote will have on the election." [Click here to read the full article.]
As the election progressed, I met with student activists, campaign volunteers, and political scientists in Mexico City.
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In June I published an article called "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" explaining the emergence of the #YoSoy132 protest in Mexico.
I explained:
"In the last stretch before Mexico’s July 1 presidential election, young demonstrators have come out in droves. They call themselves “Yo Soy 132” and “Mas de 131” — I am 132, and More than 131 — referring to a crowd of 131 college students who heckled the presidential hopeful, and later posted videos on YouTube to prove it.
Some are calling their peaceful protests the “Mexican spring.” But these angry youth are not fighting to upend an oppressive political regime. They’re working to stage a democratic revolt against an almighty establishment of another order: television." [Click here to read the full article.]
Mexican media, after all, is dominated by two broadcast TV companies: Televisa and TV Azteca. Unlike networks such as CBS and Fox, which control important but relatively small slices of the U.S. media landscape, Televisa controls 70% of the Mexican broadcast TV sector. The company's broadcasts reach 95% of all Mexican households. By contrast, only 20% of Mexican homes have an internet connection.
Internet savvy protesters faced major challenges in taking on Mexico's media monopolies. Now, they are being threatened. Some activists' parents have said they think that local authorities could be involved.
Univision News reported:
"The news started spreading among YoSoy132 members last Friday [September 21]: Aleph Jiménez Rodríguez, the student movement's spokesperson in Ensenada, Baja California, was missing. Initially this information was spread through Twitter and over the weekend it was picked up by local media outlets. On Tuesday, Aleph's father, Julio Jiménez, was interviewed on Mexico's MVS radio station, stating that it was very likely, that his son had been disappeared by city officials." [Click here to read the full article.]
In the end, Aleph was found safe. He fled his home city on his own accord after receiving a threat.
The discussion the protesters are trying to promote is far from over. Moving forward, Mexican society will need to reflect on the protesters' complaints about the role of media in politics.
In a feature article I recently wrote on the topic, Duncan Wood, a professor at Mexico's city's ITAM university, explained "In the future … the role of Televisa in politics is going to come under much closer scrutiny."
