ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the evolution of democratic process over the past quarter century. It begins with a glimpse at conflicting versions of globalization: the one driven by market forces, and the response from globalized social movements. The chapter presents an overview of the major mobilizations and campaigns over two decades, from the late 1980s. Democratization of communication is now on the regional agenda and in Argentina has seen major mobilizations in support of new legislation, though in most countries the issue has not managed to galvanize widespread mobilization. Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-related issues, such as allocation of the new digital spectrum, are among the themes in debate, and as they become available could potentially multiply the opportunities to diversify media. A notable case is in Brazil, where a national conference on communication held two years ago set off a nationwide debate on media and ICTs, with participation of a wide variety of social organizations and media.
