ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates Chileans’ use of new media and technologies to express their national identities. Who counts as having an authentic Chilean identity has been a divisive question in the context of Chile’s recent history, especially since the years of the Pinochet dictatorship (1973–1990) when many Chileans were forced to leave the country. Whose voices we get to hear in the expression of national identity is another key question in the context of Chile because ever since the years of the dictatorship, public expression has been suppressed and contained—frst through direct censorship and then in the post-dictatorship years through tight controls in mainstream media outlets, virtually all of which are owned by a duopoly of media conglomerates aligned with the former dictatorship and political right. 1 Two events in Chile in 2010 illustrate how contested and complex expressions of Chilean national identity can be: the February 27 earthquake and tsunami and the August 5 entrapment and October 13–14 rescue of 33 miners. Another legacy of the dictatorship has been a lack of political activism. However, as the end of this chapter will demonstrate, a new generation of technologically savvy Chileans is utilizing new forms of media and communication to stage massive demonstrations and protests across the country, larger than any mobilizations in Chile since 1973.
