Reconsidering the idea of the internet as a civilizatory element in Latin America.

Abstract

This article discusses, from a critical position centered on the concept of the Greek "logos" and Walter Benjamin's "barbarism-civilization" dichotomy, the adoption process of digital technologies in Latin America. These two aspects, the logos and the “barbarism-civilization" dichotomy will be employed to question and deconstruct the idea of ​​"Internet as a civilizing advance", which has only brought positive impacts in the region. This work will focus on the discourse analysis of how the digital technologies, particularly the Internet, have been associated with the idea of ​​progress and social advancement, considering this technology as the great universal panacea that tackles social and economic problems in Latin America. However, as will be seen in this work, under this idea of ​​"digital progress" lies a logic of exclusion based on the imposition of a hegemonic culture, and the exclusion of dissident voices, as well as the exploitation of users by large transnational companies in the form of a new extractivism focused on the exploitation of private data and user-generated digital content.