Social networks should have a "highway code" to be useful

SOCIAL NETWORKS - HIGHWAY

Barcelona, ​​Aug. 9 (EFE) .- If social networks like Facebook or Twitter want to consolidate their role in the "Arab spring" and be part essentially beyond its playful use of the new Social Networks architecture should be equipped with a "Highway Code "to ensure its usefulness to society, according to researcher Richard Ruiz de Querol. 

Director of Information Research Group Foundation Barcelona Media, Ruiz de Querol told Efe that the baptized as "social media" have placed more emphasis on technological than strictly social. 

However, the revolutions in North Africa and Middle East, or the impact of motion 15-M, have things in place and have demonstrated the potential of these platforms for social innovation and its ability to mobilize. Ruiz de Querol notes that many citizens of the planet have been aware of its usefulness rather than their governments, the scope of these technologies has caught out of step even with dramatic results. So, these days the British police blamed on some social networks fuel the looting taking place in various parts of London and are spreading to other English cities. 

In general, their uses have been constructive. An example of this movement Rodalia.info 4.0 is the platform, which some users created suburban incidents in Catalonia on the rail network and provides better information service management company. "It increases the feeling that the traditional ways are peaking and people see other type of management can work," said the expert. 

Ruiz de Querol cites an article "The Economist" which indicated that the scope of these social innovations have a problem of scale to become a real alternative applicable to such areas as education, health and other social constructed "bottom up ". 

Another challenge of the new Social Networks Architecture is how to recreate the structure of a participatory assembly on these platforms that are not manipulated. "Through blogs?, How discussion forums and voting? That is something that is done," says the researcher. In this regard, stresses that must be taken into account that older people (in Spain the generation gap is wider than in other countries) or other reasons not to use these new media. 

By September, the EU experts meet in Brussels to seek views on how to create platforms that enhance the collective consciousness on certain issues and manage collective action: for example, reduce the consumption of drugs or save energy. 

"Innovation does not exclude social policy innovation, but it's not just having an idea to do this to take effect," argues Ruiz de Querol, which uses the simile "boom" generated by the book "Indignaos" Stéphane Hessel. "That a book so weak in content has been so successful is due to the great discontent. Now we have to see how we collect this discontent into something more than a camp," he says. 

Faced with the obvious fact that the major social networks are owned by large corporations, Ruiz de Querol said: "To Facebook or Twitter clients are not citizens, we are hearing, their clients are paid advertising and its main purpose is not served but getting ads. " 

Therefore, the ideal is the existence of a large social network "for cause" and encourages people to create them because the instruments are "there" and "free software allows it."