International alternative networks are agencies that are not commercial which keep up with the improvement of information and media in their country. They are not imperialist structures that are governed internally. They are independent, non-commercial alternatives that are working to bring multimedia into the 21st century. They were first introduced in the 1990s, and have expanded to encompass a variety of types of media like video tutorials, news sites and alternative web-based websites that offer video content. Many of them have evolved to become multinational corporations and are an integral component of any democratic media strategies.
They are united by their noncommercial principles, and are opposed to imperialist systems of power. These groups promote their opinions by organising information and communication reform efforts and by promoting an inclusive and democratic Internet. They also develop new networks of communication that facilitate local, regional and global developments that relate to social movements.
The strength of these worldwide networks is due to the co-operation through social movement organizing campaigns and media reform initiatives that improve information and communication for the benefit of all. They are developing a complex web of local-local, regional (especially south-south) and transnational connections which bypass colonial old links between north and south as well as power dynamics.
Although these international networks face many obstacles, including insufficient capital and qualified staff they carry on to develop regional links and promoting the democratization of information and communication reforms. They have become an essential part of the fight for greater human rights and sustainability of the environment.