Power of ICT over cultures

Source: Unplash

Since their appearance, the new information and communication technologies have constantly transformed many of the scenarios of daily life, from my professional training as a cultural manager, I consider that culture is a scenario that is not alien to this transformation, on the contrary, ICT and culture are two changing terms that constantly evolve and complement each other. Next, I would like to focus on the positive aspects of ICT in culture, and support my position from the case of Retina Latina.

In Colombia, the Ministry of Culture formulated a public policy on digital culture, the policy establishes parameters to promote digital citizenship, these parameters include the new dynamics that occur through new technologies of the the new dynamics that occur through new communication technologies, the sociocultural relationship is different, in addition to the transformations related to the creation of content (people are no longer just recipients), consumption habits, and ways of organizing culture.

A very interesting example of the power of ICT on culture is the case of the Retina Latina cinema platform. Retina Latina is a free platform for the dissemination, promotion, and distribution of public Latin American cinema developed by the Ministry of Culture has the support of international cooperation sources such as the IDB and the International Fund for Cultural Diversity of UNESCO.

The catalog includes short films, documentaries, feature films, and original fictions from Latin America and the Caribbean, the productions are in their original language, these are Spanish, Portuguese or native languages ​​of the Latin American territory.

The consumption habits of cinematographic content have changed, the distribution of movies on digital platforms and streaming has increased, even in times of pandemic, it was this distribution model that allowed people to continue enjoying this art since it allows them to enjoy movies at any place and time, something that the traditional model of the industry did not allow. New technologies to create, distribute and consume audiovisual content have made Latin American and Caribbean culture more visible with platforms such as Retina Latina, this foray into the digital sphere makes it possible to show more local films compared to the limited number that is shown in theaters of cinema,  on exhibition are more flexible.

In addition to the benefits of the platform in technical and circulation terms, it allows generating an intercultural relationship, in the same digital space, productions from different countries of the territory converge, such as Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, and indigenous communities, thus generating a horizontal communication, to mention a specific case, in November 2020 Retina Latina hosted a selection of sixteen films directed and produced by indigenous groups of another way it would be almost impossible to know the productions of indigenous communities, these digital and technological resources make possible the recognition of the value system, beliefs, ideologies of many cultures through art.

Another relevant aspect of the power of ICT over culture is to contribute to the full exercise of cultural rights and therefore to human development since the Declaration of the Principles of International Cultural Cooperation of UNESCO in 1996 it is established that "Every people has the right and duty to develop their culture " in that sense the technological and communication tools allow communities and social groups to develop and communicate their culture, participating in an increasingly connected world.

To complement the previous topic, it is important to highlight that the mainstreaming of culture in the practice of development from the use of ICTs influences the economic aspect of social groups, continuing with the case of indigenous communities receiving economic compensation for the content they provide, they produce, thus promoting better conditions and recognition of their cultural practices.

In addition to this, the fact that various cultures of the territories can exhibit their creations on the platform represents a prior exercise of knowledge and training on topics such as production, editing, team management, communication strategies and digital development;  Competences of digital literacy that in the Colombian case are established in the Digital Culture Policy, that is, the use of ICT is a form of decentralization of knowledge, of appropriating technical tools to other cultures to develop activities that strengthen their participation  on the cultural stage, they are cultures representing themselves. Finally, I want to highlight that platforms such as Retina Latina serve as a historical repository, the digital format allows keeping records of films.

Regarding the reflection of the actions that are legitimized online, I believe that it is due to the freedom offered by the wide digital universe, the degree of anonymity of carrying out certain actions, the ambiguity of security policies and the belief that everything is allowed there  Without justifying that it is okay, I think we all agree to experience situations that would not happen offline because it is the price of being hyper connected.