Chapter 8: Communicating Across Borders: Unlikely Alliances and Poetic Visions

When the Internet emerged as a new medium, it inspired an enthusiastic discourse. Digital media were cast as facilitators for creating a global civil society, fostering solidarity across borders, and thereby empowering local grassroots actors (e.g. Albrow, 1997; Lévy, 1994; Negroponte, 1996; Rheingold, 1993; Wellman, 1999).¹ Digital technology made online shopping possible and expanded entertainment options. Yet, it also empowered corporations and states to track and surveil the often-unsuspecting users (Lyon, 2001; Zuboff, 2019). An early instance that received worldwide media attention and served as evidence for the liberating power of digital technology was the Zapatistas, who launched in 1994 a rebellion in the Southeastern Mexican state of Chiapas. What made this case so special? What lessons can be drawn from its media history? The rebellion still continues, albeit in different forms, 30 years after the uprising. It is time to revisit this case. This chapter² will trace the roots of the uprising, analyze the media context in which it occurred, and consider lessons about the dynamics of counter-hegemonic alliance-building.