The Control of Internet Governance: The rearticulating of discourse in social networks

Abstract

From the antagonic views and asymmetric actors related to Internet governance, the purpose of this research is to answer the following questions: Who are these actors? How is taking the hegemonic discourse? How is production going on dissent in social networks? The objectives of this study are, first, to demonstrate how it happens, in social networks, the articulation of those responsible for the control of Internet governance actors and, second, to analyze the production of hegemonic discourse to maintain the status quo of Internet governance. To achieve these objectives, we analyze some of the documents produced in the workshops and working groups of the following events: a) Internet Governance Forum – IGF, organized by the UN and held in Baku (Azerbaijan) from 6 to November 9, 2012; b) World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT), organized by the International Telecommunication Union and held in Dubai (United Arab Emirates), 3 to December 14, 2012, and c) Global Multistakeholder Meeting on the Future of Internet Governance (NetMundial), organized by the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee, held in 23 and 24 April 2014 in São Paulo, Brazil. The discourse of these official documents, resulting from such international events, will be compared with other sectors of social networks linked to civil society and governments that are not being met because, although participants of some of the mailing lists present viable alternatives to Internet governance proposals, the production of proposals that arise in these social networks and forums of international events, has not been included for the effective achievement of multilateral governance.