Cartographies of Negotiation: Data and Pandemic Mapping in the Frena la Curva Initiative

The Covid-19 pandemic spurred social movements to prioritise solidarity and collective responses. In this context, counter-maps emerged as a form of data activism aimed at illuminating aspects of the crisis often overlooked in dominant representations. This article investigates the Frena la Curva initiative, which used an online forum and a collaborative map to visualise needs and offers of assistance across Ibero-American countries during the pandemic. Drawing on digital ethnography—including website analysis, map examination, and interviews with activists—the study explores the role of mapping in understanding the pandemic and representing diverse human experiences. We argue that maps became central tools for deliberation among data activists, combining practical functions with symbolic significance for social action. To conceptualise this dynamic, we introduce the notion of “cartographies of negotiation,” which highlights the tensions, values, and interpretive practices that shape internet-based maps. This concept foregrounds the distinction between maps as objects and mapping as a situated process. We draw on technocentric and social justice frameworks to examine how activists navigate between technological possibilities and structural constraints, and how their cartographic practices generate new forms of visibility, solidarity, and resistance.