Inclusion and diversity are some of the democratic values that Internet developers, entrepreneurs, researchers, and technologists have tried to foster since its early origins. Allowing anybody to access knowledge and information, and expand her communication capabilities, independent of any gender, racial, or socioeconomic markers, has been embedded in the discourse of Internet tools and platforms….
The peace negotiations between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army (FARC–EP) and the Colombian government ended on an agreement last August 24, 2016. After four years of peace talks and working meetings, and despite the disbelief of a large sector of Colombian public opinion and the opposition of right wing political parties, a deal…
Due to the consolidation of privately owned corporate platforms and their massive adoption around the world the Web is becoming more and more centralized. The current networked communication environment is dominated by privately owned spaces that mediate most of our interactions online. Although this environment gives the impression of a vast open public space where…
Stories of ghosts and appearances of the dead are common in Cartagena de Indias. Virgins, pirates, saints, and deceased international personalities have appeared on walls, basements, alleys, and other public and private spaces of the city since colonial times. In June of 2009 I was shocked by the news about the apparition of phantom of…
Next to the the foot of La Popa hill and close to the Cienaga Las Quintas, there is Bazurto, the central market of Cartagena de Indias. Known by its giant size, Bazurto is a complex urban zone, mix of make-shift stands, mobile stores, and commerce buildings. The area serves as a hub for multiple markets,…
Gaps, divides, and splits are a common feature of contemporary societies and economies. Both at the global and the national level, inequalities persist across multiple social dimensions, interacting and intersecting in complex ways. From income to education, to digital gaps, divides shape an uneven playing field where access to resources and opportunities are not evenly…
Digital badging is a new credentialing technology that has the potential of serving diverse youths and promote equity and social inclusion. Digital badges are designed to make visible and verifiable learning that happens everywhere. From schools to communities, from the workplace to the Internet, youths are gaining skills in a learning ecosystem that expands across…