International alternative networks are agencies that are not commercial that are able to keep up with the growth of information and media in their countries. They are not imperialist structures that are governed internally. They are independent, non-commercial options that are trying to bring multimedia into the 21st Century. They started in the 1990s. They now include many forms of media such as videos and news websites. Many have become multinational businesses and they are an important factor part of any democratic media strategy.
Despite the fact that these organizations differ in size, focus and geographical location, they are united by a noncommercial philosophy and opposition to imperialist power systems. These groups promote their opinions by organizing information and communication reform campaigns and by promoting a more inclusive and egalitarian Internet. They also build new communication infrastructures to support local connections as well as global developments relating to social movements.
The strength of these networks is built through cooperation, through organizing campaigns for social movements and media reform initiatives that adapt information and communication to the benefit of everyone. They are creating a complex web of local-local, regional (especially south-south) and transnational connections which bypass colonial old links and power dynamics.
Although these international networks face various obstacles like a lack of capital and competent staff, they continue to build regional links and promoting the democratization of reforms in information and communication. They are now a vital element in the fight for sustainable development and human rights.