Theory of a Human Ecology of Communication: empirical evidence of the Internet consumption ecosystem in Ecuador

Abstract

Since 2010 we have been analyzing Internet consumption indicators in Ecuador, characterized by the rapid growth in relation to nearby countries. This phenomenon, that transcends the statistical explanation, has been conducted in more than ten research reports published by the Research Center of Communication and Public Opinion (CICOP) of the Faculty of Communication at the Universidad de Los Hemisferios, who leads in the country the World Internet Project -WIP- project. This "transgression" suggests an interdisciplinary explanation, according to the complexity of human social ecosystem, to understand "how" it is possible to discern political and economic different and specific behaviors in social communication, according to sociodemographic characteristics, in a society like Ecuador, where the classic paradigms of communication theory breaks. In this sense we present the theoretical proposal entitled "Human Ecology of Communication" from the Internet consumption research conducted during the years 2010-2014 in Ecuador.