Facebook Played
An Important
Role In
Derailment Of
Costa Rica's
Legislators Pay
Hike
Social groups in
Costa Rica now
don't have to
hit the streets
to put pressure
on politicians
and the
government. In
2010, Ticos are
taking advantage
of social media
systems like
Facebook to
express their
opposition like
the salary hike
or "salariazo"
legislators had
intended on
voting
themselves.
To oppose the
salariazo, more
than 11.000
Ticos joined the
Facebook page
created for the
public to
express their
opinion.
Perhaps this
page was a key
factor in the
position of
presidenta,
Laura
Chinchilla, in
declaring that
she would veto
the bill is
legislators
passed it.
Chinchilla has
used during the
election and
continues to use
now that she is
president
Facebook to keep
Costa Ricans
informed.
Click here to go
to Chinchilla's
Facebook page.
Click here to
got to the
Inside Costa
Rica Facebook
page
It will be some
time before
Costa Ricans
will leave the
streets behind
for their
protests. But,
sites like
Facebook,
Twitter, Hi5 and
many others are
now providing
Ticos a forum.
José Carlos
Chinchilla,
sociologist at
the Universidad
Nacional (UNA)
explained that
politicians in
Costa Rica
cannot ignore
the social media
networks.
"Before these
networks it was
difficult for
people to come
together with
their ideas that
were mainly
shared by the
unknown, but
today a large
number of people
with the same
thinking can
come together
easily by way of
the web", said
Chinchilla.
The use of
social media in
opposition
against the
legislator's
salary hike that
was passed in
first debate and
derailed before
the required
second debate,
is an example of
things to come,
where the social
media will be
more and more a
part of the
process of
consensus, for
or against a
bill or
government
action. |
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