The accelerated, world-wide movement towards user generated content in the media has shaken the foundations upon which, historically, societies have based their assumptions regarding the direction of information, knowledge, and ultimately, empowerment. Whereas at times past, laypeople would have to wait for directives to come from the top-down, pervasive communications today enable anyone to nurture their own ideas and deploy them not only toward other individuals, but towards their institutions, from the  bottom-up.  The fact that this change of direction will not stop in the realm of information, but is now quickly transforming itself into a catalyst for true individual empowerment, ushers an unparalleled stage in human history, one which opens qualitatively new possibilities for social good.

 

Concurrently, developed societies and their multilateral institutions –those who seek to procure social good- have seen that their traditional approach to philanthropy and other forms of aid to developing nations has largely been ineffective and unsustainable.  Because their approach is based on the entrenched top-down assumptions of how their money should flow, they have largely failed not only to “teach men how to fish”, but to give out sufficient fish, no matter the amount of money.  It is now clear that giving fish is never sufficient, and is counterproductive in that it does not allow for the individual empowerment that will actually create a entrepreneur-driven fishing industry.  Technology today can usher a 2.0 approach for the procurement of social good that is based on the emerging possibilities of a communications-enabled bottom-up world.    

 

It is in this context that Telmex and the MIT Media Lab have joined forces in order to institutionalize a formal effort of academic research, technology implementation, and entrepreneurial initiatives within the Center for Developmental Communications.  The Center’s goal is to conceive and implement highly innovative connectivity-based solutions for bottom-up empowerment, collaboration and development in developing countries.