Uru: Journal of Communication and Culture is a digital publication of the Communication Department at Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, Sede Ecuador. Published semiannually, Uru serves as an open space to contribute to and promote, in the broadest sense, debate and reflection on communication and cultural issues in Latin America. The journal aims to foster research, generate ideas, and encourage actions in these fields of knowledge.
Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, Sede Ecuador
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Educommunication and Artificial Intelligence: Guide to a Conversation in Times of Digital Unrest Páginas
In this paper, we situate the phenomenon of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the context of Education 4.0, outlining some of its key elements. We propose an educommunicative approach, which not only examines the technological implications of AI but also considers educommunicative actors, messages, and the cultural environment. To this end, we draw on the Pedagogy of Total Language, which allows us to redefine certain general communication objectives and promote a new attitude among educommunicative actors based on the conversational lines proposed in this study. In this regard, we consider it essential to incorporate mediological and ecological perspectives, which have proven useful in rethinking the implications of technological transformations. This paper presents a conversation guide structured into several sections: 1. identification of similarities and differences between the various media-spheres across different stages of technological change (defined as Education 1.0, 2.0, etc.); 2. enumeration of key components of AI, aiming to clarify what it is and what it is not; 3. revisiting the debate between “apocalyptic” and “integrated” perspectives by offering an initial list of AI-related opportunities and challenges; and 4. formulating questions and discussions that help structure the levels of abstraction at which AI can be analyzed, with a particular focus on educommunicative actors.
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Educational Television in Early Childhood: The Case of Hagamos Ruido
Open educational television is very useful in the education of preschool children, because it is an accessible audiovisual resource that facilitates learning and socialization. The Ecuadorian television landscape has a shortage of educational content of national production and the few productions deserve attention. This study analyzes the animated series Hagamos Ruido (Let’s Make Noise). Its objective is to examine how this program fosters the cognitive and social development of preschool children. The methodology is qualitative and uses non-participant observation and content analysis in 16 episodes of Hagamos Ruido, forming four categories: identity and autonomy, coexistence, relationship with the natural and cultural environment, and logical- mathematical relationships. The results show that the animated series combines educational and communicational elements, encouraging curiosity, imagination and discovery in preschool children. It is concluded that these television programs are important to transmit values, since they use fun resources, which attract the attention of children.
educational television, television, educommunication
Study of the Facebook Fan Page of the Communication Degree at Universidad Nacional de Chimborazo Páginas
This article analyzes the role played by the fanpage of the Communication Career of the National University of Chimborazo as an educommunicative tool in the university digital eco system, through a mixed approach, which combines qualitative and quantitative techniques, the contents published on this page between January 2023 and May 2024 are studied. The main objective was to identify how academic training, and the active participation of the student community are promoted through the strategic use of this social network. The research is based on a theoretical framework focused on educommunication, which allowed understanding of the communicational processes mediated by digital technologies and their potential to strengthen collaborative learning. the results show that the fanpage not only fulfills an informative function, but also contributes to the dissemination of academic events, to the reflection on contemporary social problems and to the dynamization of university life. One of the most relevant findings is the role of digital interaction as a key factor in the construction of an active and participatory community, it is concluded that a conscious and coherent educommunicative management of content allows transforming the fanpage into a space for linking, innovation and institutional strengthening, reaffirming the role of Facebook as an educational platform in higher education.
Multimedia Tools to Strengthen DigitalCompetence in Teachers
The research addresses the use of multimedia tools as a strategy to strengthen the digital competencies of teachers, in a context where technological progress demands significant adaptations in education. Faced with the problem of limited digital training of teachers, the objective was to develop a training strategy based on multimedia tools that contribute to the strengthening of digital competence in teachers; having as specific objectives: to identify tools used, evaluate digital competencies and propose strategies for improvement. The study, with a quantitative approach, used surveys applied to 177 teachers, whose data were statistically analyzed. The results of the theoretical background show that tools such as Canva and PowerPoint are widely accepted. The statistical analysis indicated a high positive correlation between the use of multimedia tools and the strengthening of digital competencies, highlighting that advanced areas, such as audiovisual editing, require greater attention. The positive impact of multimedia tools in teaching is highlighted, but their implementation has been facing technical and formative challenges, so this work presents a contribution to the training of teachers’ competence using the benefits of multimedia tools. It concludes on the importance of developing permanent training programs, improving the technological infrastructure and promoting institutional policies that facilitate the effective integration of these tools, thus guaranteeing learning adapted to the demands of the 21st century.
Training for Spokespersons in Public Sector Organizations: Design of Media Training for the Infantry Brigade no. 13 “Pichincha” of the Ecuadorian Army
This research delves into the study of spokesperson training at the 13th Infantry Brigade “Pichincha” of the Ecuadorian Army. Through the application of various methodological tools between January and August 2024, the need to develop a media training program for the insti tution was identified. As this military unit is part of the public sector, it is subject to the principle of accountability to citizens. Furthermore, its current operations in the context of internal armed conflict have increased its presence in the community, thereby heightening its exposure to the media. Using a methodology that combines participant observation, the execution of press conference simulations and trainings, as well as interviews with senior officials and communication analysts, significant improvements were observed in the spokespersons’ performance. The analysis revealed deficiencies in key aspects of institutional communication, leading to the development of pedagogical strategies aimed at strengthening their skills. Thus, this study contributes to the professionalization of spokespersons by equipping them with tools to effectively meet the challenges of contemporary media exposure.
Datafied Movements and Student Collaboration on Instagram within the Brazilian Context
This article takes part in an ongoing work whose purpose is to analyze the communication collaborative practices mediated by algorithms, through the observation of the construction of the communicative content on the Instagram account of the União Nacional dos Estudantes (UNE), social movement that represents the Brazilian university students. As part of an ethnographic approach, in this exploratory stage, we used a combination of netnographic and cartographic methods to collect and systematize the analyzed data. We collected 78 pieces of content published on the @uneoficial profile on Instagram between August 1 and 31, 2024 - a period that includes Student’s Day, celebrated on August 11, a date that also coincides with UNE’s anniversary. The preliminary results identify the main participating actors and present an initial systematization of the materialization of student collaboration on Instagram: the demarcation of collaborators’ profiles in the caption texts and the use of the Instagram Collabs tool, an Instagram tool whose main objective is to foster collaboration between accounts. Thus, we discuss how students tactically appropriate the platform’s tools to build their practices of resistance, socialities, and citizenship. Furthermore, we initiate a debate on how collaboration materialized by algorithmic mediations can help us advance analytical perspectives on datafied social movements.
Theoretical Debate on Public Television: An Analysis of TV Brasil and Televisión Pública (Argentina)
The dialogue about television—and public television, in particular—also entails reflecting on the possibilities for democratization that this space offers for the democratization of customs and political culture. In this context, public broadcasters emerge, consolidating their position as media outlets linked to the general interest through a communication project aimed at the public sphere. Based on these reflections, this article proposes a theoretical debate on public television in Brazil and Argentina through an analysis of TV Brasil and Argentine public television. It should be noted that this study is the result of ongoing doctoral research, and among the main findings obtained from a bibliographical study and a comparative journalism study, it can be affirmed that the two countries share a similarity in the historical context of the emergence of public television, in addition to the urgent need to study this type of television—and its programming—in order to understand the context of these stations in both countries.
Coloniality, Gender, Corporality: The Gordes Activists Collective of Argentina
This paper examines the case of the Colectivo Gordes Activistas de Argentina (CGA), exploring the concepts of coloniality, gender, and corporeality to examine activism from a specific situational framework. The qualitative approach includes two main strategies: the systematization and analysis of social media content from a socio-semiotic perspective, and the examination of activists’ actions using ethnographic strategies within an interpretive paradigm. This study is framed by theories of mediatization and social discourse circulation, alongside feminist and decolonial critical epistemologies. The objectives are to explore how the CGA critiques body control mechanisms, fat pathologization, and visibility regimes within a sociohistorical context marked by fatphobia and the marginalization of body diversity. The findings underscore how the CGA leverages platforms like Instagram to promote their rights demands and create spaces of resistance and visibility both digitally and territorially. In conclusion, the CGA promotes the “depathologization” and resignification of fat bodies as territories of struggle in the Global South, distinguishing itself from activism in other regions and challenging structures of stigma and exclusion that affect non-hegemonic bodies.
Esmeraldan Urban Cinema: Towards a Cinematic Africanicity of the Afro-Ecuadorian Diaspora Páginas
In this article we work with Stuart Hall’s theory of the “Afro diaspora” and Boulou Ebanda de B’béri’s concept of “Africanicity” to analyze three films of the Esmeraldan urban cinema: Raíces del Pacífico, Mitos afro 1 and Sueños 1. These films depict the experience of the Afro-Esmeraldan and Afro-Ecuadorean people, populations historically neglected by the elite architects of Ecuatorianness. What we have gleaned from this study is that unlike other sectors of Ecuadorian underground cinema, which tend to make sicario, western, action and religious movies, Afro-Esmeraldan cinema focuses mainly on the myths and legends of its native culture. And what is noteworthy is that these mythologies are not like fairytales set in the distant past. Rather, these Esmeraldan filmmakers draw on folklore to make it relevant for the current era, thus updating these myths as something productive. The theoretical tools of De B’béri and Hall are used to situate these films historically, as much of Esmeraldan urban cinema draws on oral tradition. Thus, these makers use traditional Esmeraldan music and Afro-Ecuadorian rap music as a means of identity formation two characteristics that we see much of in these three films. Methodologically, we draw on the theoretical frameworks of Hall and De B’béri, as well as interviews with practitioners of Esmeraldan urban cinema, to do textual analysis of these three films.
Perspectives on Educommunication: A Review of Studies
This research is present, it reveals the evolution of communication through the support of technology, therefore it is shown that education, communication and technology will always go hand in hand, highlighting the importance of communication in the educational field, it should be noted, that technology opens the way to new ways for the teacher-student dialogue, in this way the objective of this text is to identify how several authors have distinguished that communication influences within the academic area and family area for this the methodology of bibliographic review through the search in databases. The results showed that communication is essential for the teaching-learning link, in the same way it can be concluded that educommunication and technological tools are the fundamental basis to generate greater motivation in students because in the same way interest is increased. of teachers for teaching.
Introduction: Communication, Education and Media Pedagogies
El dossier del presente número de la Revista Uru abarca la intersección de la comunicación, la educación y las pedagogías mediáticas como un campo dinámico y en constante evolución, que explora de qué modo los medios y las tecnologías de la comunicación pueden convivir con los procesos y resultados educativos. Esta construcción colectiva ofrece una mirada más compleja al reconocer que, en las pedagogías mediáticas, se produce la interacción constante entre los sujetos en formación y las máquinas, los sistemas de algoritmos y las plataformas automatizadas, que muestran el aprendizaje como un proceso distribuido entre agentes humanos y no humanos, que participan activamente en la producción, circulación y resignificación del conocimiento. Lo anterior pone de manifiesto que en la intersección pretendida en este número se reconozca que la comprensión y la creación del sentido del saber se producen en contextos que deben propender a la descentralización de las agencias.
Deepfake, Cynicism and Fun in Cruelty: A Case of High School Students and Pornography in Ecuador
Debates about generative artificial intelligence have gained strength, its expanded uses caused astonishment and also shock to see how they led to actions that affect the conception of reality. Deepfake is a technology that creates false videos, images or audio using deep learning algorithms and that - when combined with the logic of cynicism and cruelty towards others - affects integrity and truth. The objective of the article is to critically debate the instrumental uses of artificial intelligence to create manipulated and pornographic visual content. The methodology is qualitative in nature, with bibliographic and documentary review, interviews and a case analysis: young people created more than 700 fake photos and videos, with faces of female students of different ages, from a school in Quito. The article debates how technology, youth, pornography, the logic of cynicism, the formation of networks and digital swarms are related, as well as the need for public policies in the educational field to confront ultrafakes.
Artificial Intelligence in the Nike Maker Experience Project
This research analyzes the use of artificial intelligence in the project of the Nike brand, called Nike Maker Experience, which is established from the digital design and production process that gives buyers the ability to create in a personalized way the model of their sneakers. In this case, qualitative methodology is applied with content analysis to determine the resource of generative artificial intelligence, mainly based on machine learning algorithms with the use of input data, which shows the tracking of objects and projections to create a product. In addition, the way in which the brand allows to capture in images the preferences of customers through voice commands, in order to deliver a physical and specific model in record time, is recognized.
The subtleties of Power in Images and Algorithms
The article starts from Foucault’s reflection, ‘where there is power, there is resistance’, to investigate the validity of this axiom in contemporary times, in which modalities of power that are exercised through images and algorithms are widespread and even encouraged in societies. The text builds a picture of the modalities of power over the centuries, starting with the physical punishments of the monarchical era, passing through disciplinary techniques, biopolitical strategies of government, the society of spectacle and the role of images, the power of consumption under neoliberalism, the societies of control described by Deleuze, the instrumental power of large technology companies that transform human behavior into profitable digital data, culminating with the current power of artificial intelligences (AI) and their autonomous learning technologies, which begin to mediate various everyday relationships and have the potential to remove the human being from social actions in different fields: individual, family, market, government, among others. It is argued that the evolution of the modalities of power follows the path of efficiency, subtlety and entertainment, being more and more accepted and less and less combated. Finally, the article reflects on the possibilities of contemporary resistances and the construction of collectivities in an individualistic world, taken by images in all instances of existence and mediated by programming codes.
E-Campaigns: Use of Big Data, Artificial Intelligence in Hybrid Political Campaigns and the Emergence of Wiki-Leaderships
This article is structured into eleven moments, which explain the migration of political campaigns to the digital age. Thus, this document explains: first, the use of Bots for political attacks in campaigns. Second, the automation and mining of digital data, for the design of political campaigns. Third, the use of Big Data and social networks to create databases and issue personalized messages to voters. Fourth, the use of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence (Data Science) for the segmentation of the voter market. Fifth, the use of the metaverse in hybrid political campaigns and the emergence of wiki-leaderships, in immersive scenarios. Sixth, data mining and prospective meta-analytic models. Seventh, the use of Deep fake to create fake videos in the campaign. Eighth, the Cambridge Analytics case and campaign fundraising. Ninth, the automation of campaigns, thanks to virtual platforms. Tenth, the creation of war rooms and the use of trolls for political attacks. Eleventh, the metaverse, cyberpolitics and cyberactivism. The analytical ramework that governs this research is political sociology and digital political communication. The methodology used was netnography and participant observation. In this sense, this article aims to be a roadmap for academics and political analysts.
Transforming the Game: Artificial Intelligence Revolution in Sports Journalism
The scope of artificial intelligence (AI) in sports journalism has given rise to proposals that have opened new possibilities for discussing a field that has undoubtedly arrived with force. This has led to the need to carry out an investigative process related to the analysis of the incidence of artificial intelligence in sports journalism, due to the effects it has generated for media companies worldwide as well as for audiences that increasingly demand greater dynamism. in the news. In this sense, the methodology used has contemplated the qualitative approach based on documentary review and content analysis of scientific and academic articles from repositories such as SciELO, Scopus and Mendeley between 2018 and 2023. The main results determined that, with AI, the Sports journalism has generated greater notoriety, especially with the massification of soccer as a sport par excellence, where it has promoted greater dynamism in journalistic coverage, satisfying the needs of an audience that demands a greater variety of information. It is concluded that the informative quality of the editor is a complementary aspect that requires being made visible in the face of the advantages that AI presents, leading to the generation of a new professional profile that is articulated with the new demands, whose impact on sports journalism is marked by innovation and technological development, categories that not all local media count, which determines inequality in the world market.
Case 700 AI: Between Data Protection and the Use of Artificial Intelligence
The rise of new technologies has captured the attention of each of the actors who participate in a global society. The emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) can provoke countless reactions and actions. In this context, a school in Quito became the scene of reflection and study on the interaction with AI and the protection of personal data. The development of this text offers a journey towards the phenomenon of globalization and the rethinking of Law, as a science transversal to technology. Multidisciplinarity is the research approach that will guide the explanation of each of the concepts developed in the corresponding sections. Additionally, a look will be given at the personal data protection system in Ecuador, which is very recent in force, and is not yet fully complete. It is a challenge to understand Artificial Intelligence and the interference of personal data protection in an underdeveloped State, with little digital education. However, it is commendable to try to create an academic precedent that allows society to understand, through the story behind the “700 AI Case”, the reality hidden by those who have not yet adapted to the new social changes of globalization.
Artificial Intelligence and Political Spots: Guillermo Lasso’s Presidential Campaign on YouTube and TikTok, 2021
This article merges the concepts of device, ideology and imaginary to analyze the impact of the machine learning algorithm, a type of AI, on the creation, roduction, circulation and consumption of Guillermo Lasso’s political spots, broadcast on YouTube and TikTok during the Ecuador 2021 Presidential Elections. On a qualitative level, the political spot operates as a technology of power and ideological matrix (significant dimension) that, enhanced by the machine learning algorithm (asignifying dimension), prepares the imaginary brain activity of the voter to imbue it with meaning through political narrative. At a quantitative level, the number of reproductions/viewings of certain political spots allows us to infer that the voter’s attention is transformed into a mechanism for the production of surplus value and the reproduction of power relations (attention economy). In summary, the structure of the article contains: i) the results of the democratic contest; ii) the results of the political communication campaign on YouTube and TikTok; iii) the function of the political spot as an ideological- imaginary device, explained from an audiovisual piece, considering the influence of the machine learning algorithm; iv) the discussion of Guillermo Lasso’s image on TikTok.
Queering Educommunication: Queer Perspectives on Learning and the Digital Ecosystem
This essay explores how queer theory can contribute to discussions in educommunication and the analysis of communication within the digital ecosystem. The central argument is that Queer Theory offers valuable insights for critically examining the subjective dimensions of how we use, communicate, and learn through ICT—especially in terms of the body, sexuality, emotions, and identity. The essay brings together different conceptual frameworks, including critical communication theory, education, and gender studies, to create a holistic reflection that views technology and gender as systems of control that shape the ways we inhabit, interact, and learn in digital spaces. This discussion draws on theoretical references, research findings, and personal experiences. Finally, it explores the intersection of queer pedagogy and educommuni-cation frameworks as a way to promote the inclusion of gender and sexual diversity in learning environments.
Self-Managed Media and Exercise of the Right to Communication in Rosario, Argentina
This essay, part of a doctoral study, examines the cultural magazines of Rosario in their role in the exercise of the right to communication. Through an ethnographic perspective, it explores self-management and sustainability practices in the field of graphic media and analyzes how these initiatives participate in the democratization of communications. From its horizontal organizational model and its criticism of hegemonic media, self-managed media in Rosario, represented here by a particular graphic experience, encourage cultural diversity and promote cultural rights. Likewise, this work investigates the connections and articulations with other independent media in the city, addressing sustainability not only from the economic aspect, but also from its social legitimacy and cultural impact. Self-management is presented, in this sense, as a form of resistance and construction of community meaning that challenges traditional models of media production, proposing an inclusive communication model that contributes to social justice.
Education and Accessibility in Museums: Exploring the Potential of Transmedia Communication
This essay addresses the confluence between education, accessibility and transmedia communication in museums, highlighting how digital transformations have facilitated the evolution of these institutions, from a unidirectional communication model to a more interactive and participatory one. Moreover, it addresses the accessibility barriers faced by historically excluded communities, such as the deaf community, proposing transmedia museography as a key tool to create inclusive environments to ensure access to knowledge. A three-stage model is propose that combines digital interactivity, in-person visits and the co-creation of content, promoting a more accessible and participatory museum model. The study concludes that transmedia communication transcends accessibility barriers by promoting dynamic, inclusive and participatory experiences under conditions of equality.
Communicating Public Health Risk: The Case of Radon Gas
Crítica, desactualización y anonadamiento. Apuntes para pensar la comunicación y la imagen en la era de la inteligencia artificial
Journalism, Digital Media and the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Small Cinemas of the Andes: New Aesthetics, Practices and Platforms
Copyright (c) 2024 Uru: Revista de Comunicación y Cultura https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
El gesto capturado: La caricatura satírico-política, el discurso de lo injurioso en el contexto político ecuatoriano
Metadesigners: Symbiosis of Digital Tools and Artificial Intelligence in Architectural Design
Throughout the 21st century, we have witnessed a paradigmatic metamorphosis in the field of architectural design, based on innovation and the use of digital tools. This evolutionary process has led to the emergence of a generation of professionals identified as “metadesigners”, whose distinction lies in their interdisciplinary approach that amalgamates architectural creation with research. Perceptive to the pervasive influence of digital systems in the contemporary world, metadesigners are emerging as protagonists in the reconfiguration of professional practices. However, the most far-reaching change has manifested itself in recent months with the proliferation and exponential development of tools based on artificial intelligence (AI), which have revolutionized the process of generating images and designs in architecture. AI has demonstrated its capacity to conceive creative and innovative solutions, marking a real turning point in this field. Starting from these premises and based on the hypothesis that the intersection between AI and architecture is intrinsically transforming the design process, enhancing both communicative efficiency and design quality, this paper aims to investigate and evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of these processes, considering their impact on the quality and originality of the designs. Finally, this analysis aims to deepen the understanding of the emerging dynamics between AI and architecture, in order to continuously enrich this field and its relationship with contemporary society.