Context in Conflict
The information age has been leading to a historical transformation process. The new economy, centered in technological and corporate innovations, is modifying the social processes in cities. Cities that have gone into this order have been key spaces for economic progress but they have also been challenged to achieve social balance and cultural identity. Factors related with armed conflicts and economical inequality, particularly present in developing countries, reduce the likelihood of a smooth entry into the new economy order. This is the case of Colombia, a South American country marked by contradictions. Economic and technological development and cultural diversity contrast with scant improvements in social and conflict matters. According to the Colombian Department of Statistics, the country has 45.088.439 inhabitants (Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística [DANE], 2009a) and a high poverty index (46%) (DANE, 2009b), yet media and information technology show high penetration rates. In 2008, 83.8% of households owned a cell phone, 88.5% of households owned a television, 46.4% of people used computers, 37.5% of people older than five years accessed the Internet, and 40.91% of children between five and eleven years old had played video games in the previous month when they were asked (DANE, 2009c; DANE, 2008). Although the literacy index (91.6%) and school attendance for the range of age between 5 and 24 (65.5%) (DANE, 2005) are high, the book reading mean in the last twelve months was only two. These facts put digital media as a source for social change strategies because its use is high and seems to be increasing.
Apart from this, the Colombian armed conflict has integrated and disintegrated broader civil population groups in the war front among the Colombian army, paramilitary groups, and insurgent guerrillas. Their fighting, which is part of an irregular war, occurs mostly in national countryside territories like rural areas, indigenous reservations and natural parks. Although armed violence occurs mostly in the countryside, the consequences of a violent environment are also visible in cities. The phenomena of social displacement and non-military demobilization affect everyday life and the development process in the cities. Urban centers show everyday effects of new interactions with immigrants from the countryside, violent media exposure, and domestic violence conflicts. This has led the government and public and private institutions to carry out initiatives for strengthening peaceful social interaction among children, youths, and adults.