(2010) ‘Activism Transforms Digital: The Social Movement Perspective’ in M. Joyce (ed.) Digital Activism Decoded: The New Mechanics of Change, New York & Amsterdam: International debate education association, pp.101-118. (original) (raw)

Digital activism: After the hype

New Media & Society

Research on digital activism has gained traction in recent years. At the same time, it remains a diverse and open field that lacks a coherent mode of inquiry. For the better or worse, digital activism remains a fuzzy term. In this introduction to a special issue on digital activism, we review current attempts to periodize and historicize digital activism. Although there is growing body of research on digitial activism, many contributions remain limited through their ahistorical approach and the digital universalism that they imply. Based on the contributions to the special issue, we argue for studying digital activisms in a way that traverses a two-dimensional axis of digital technologies and activist practices, striking the balance between context and media-specificity.

Political activism in the era of the Internet

individualization processes, the crisis in the ideological frameworks which structured political life in the 20 th century, the weakening of political parties -date from before the emergence of communication via the Internet, which is influenced by these preexisting trends, while at the same time modifying them. 3. The bibliography on the effects of the virtual world counterposes "pessimists" and "optimists". The optimists stress that the communication technologies open up new possibilities for horizontal communication among citizens, diminish communication transaction costs in the public space, accelerate communication and eliminate physical distance enabling people and groups to issue opinions and establish dialogues on an unprecedented scale, reducing the relative importance of the old communication media and opening up new alternative information channels for citizens. The pessimists believe that impacts of the Internet are the impoverishment and polarization of political culture and debate, the destruction of privacy -providing the State and companies with access to databanks which enable the manipulation and control of individuals -, and the illusion of Country Case studies Argentina Ni Una Menos Change.og Partido de la Red Brazil Internet Civil Framework Avaaz June 2013 Protests Mídia Ninja Online/off-line: the new fabric of political activism Online support campaigns Online support campaigns for specific causes represent the continuation of a long democratic tradition of support for manifestos or petitions requesting changes in legislation. The use of signatures collected online is still not recognized legally in any of the countries in the region. Alternative ways of using this means of online participation to obtain effective results, must, therefore, be explored. In subsequent chapters , we present three case studies of online support campaigning organizations: Avaaz in Brazil, Change.org in Argentina and YASunidos in Ecuador. Avaaz in Brazil and Change.org in Argentina are global organizations of foreign origin and have existed for a number of years. In these countries they have the largest number of followers (people who have signed at least one petition), in absolute numbers in the case of Brazil and relative to the size of the population in Argentina. YASunidos is an isolated experience related to a specific problem.

“Paradigms in Digital Activism”

Öz: Dijital iletişim teknolojileri toplumsal muhalefetin çeşitlenmesini ve küreselleşmesini sağlayan başlıca araçlardır. Günümüzde sosyal hareketler sosyal ağlar üzerinde ortaya çıkmakta, örgütlenmekte ve eyleme geçmektedir. Bu yazıda, dijital aktivizm üzerine yapılan akademik çalışmalar ve bilimsel araştırmalarda kullanılan kuramsal çerçeveler ve geliştirilen gerekçeler irdelenmekte ve internet--demokrasi ilişkisini açıklamak için yeni bir paradigmaya ihtiyaç duyulduğu ileri sürülmektedir. Anahtar kelimeler: demokrasi, dijital aktivizm, sosyal hareketler, yeni medya, kamusal alan Abstract: Digital communication technologies are the primary means of diversification and globalization of social opposition. Today, social movements are emerging, organized and move to action on social networks. In this paper, theoretical frameworks used in scientific research on digital activism and arguments developed are being examined and it is suggested that a new paradigm is required in order to explain the relationship between the Internet and democracy.

Digital Activism: a Hierarchy of Political Commitment

Political action has a long history. Information systems provide new affordances for political action that go well beyond sending an email to elected officials or " liking " a political Facebook page. Digital activism-political action enabled by Information Systems (IS)-not only provides citizens with enhanced opportunities for organization and communication, but also allows opportunities to take direct political action and create greater impact with fewer resources. This paper seeks to explore and build theory on the use and impact of digital activism by extending Milbrath's hierarchy of political participation to reflect digital activism. The paper contributes to both the IS and political science literature with a digital activism framework that builds on digital activism theory.

2009 Digital Activism Survey Report

KEY FINDINGS Age: Of the survey’s 122 respondents, 28% were between the ages of 26 and 30, with 10% above age 50 and only 2% below the age of 20. The low activism rates of these young “digital natives” may be explained by political apathy and entertainment preferences online. Gender: Outside North America, male respondents outnumbered female respondents by a margin of 7 to 3. If this gap holds true for digital activists in general, this further challenges the gender-neutral identity of technology. Geography: Geographic representation was largely consistent with global Internet access but should not be used as representative of the true distribution of digital activists around the world. Economics: Digital activists, particularly in developing countries, are much more likely than the population at large to pay a monthly subscription fee to have Internet at home, to be able to afford a high-speed connection, and to work in a white-collar job where Internet is also available. In short, digital activists are likely to be prosperous. Access: Intensity of use, rather than simple access, is critical as to whether or not a person is a digital activist. This high use is only possible for people with the ability to pay for it. The Internet may be democratizing, but its effects are felt most strongly in the global middle class. Mobiles: Respondents with more features on their mobile phone - such as Internet, video, and GPS - are more likely to use their phones for activism. This is another indicator of the importance of financial resources for digital activists, both quantitatively, in terms of greater technology access, and qualitatively, in terms of better (mobile) hardware. Causes: Across regions, “rights” emerged as the most popular cause, with 21 different types identified by respondents. Broadcast: The plurality of respondents (37%) believe digital technology’s greatest value for activism is one-way communication. What makes social media useful for digital activism may not be its interactivity but rather the fact that these technologies collapse the barrier to broadcast. Platforms: Social networks are the most common “gateway drug” into digital activism. Design: None of most popular activist tools – social networks, blogs, and email - were specifically made for activism. It is likely a combination of their open and agnostic architecture, as well as their high user base, that has made them popular with activists. Skills: Findings on technology and advocacy skills acquisition challenge the assumption that those who have a facility with technology are more likely to become digital activists and gives encouragement to programs that seek to teach technology skills to traditional activists. Offline: Older activists in the respondent group are most likely to use digital technology to increase the efficiency of offline activities, such as training and evidence collection, and less likely to participate in activities which have gained popularity because of the availability of online tools, such as posting original content on web sites.

The Internet As a Tool For Political Activism and Political Campaigning.

With the commercialisation of the Internet in the late 80"s, the transition from traditional media platforms (television, radio, newspapers) to modern, digitalised forms of media was inevitable, due to the society"s ceaseless desire to be informed instantly, effectively, easily and at extremely low costs. Arguably, this technological convergence established Internet as one of the greatest inventions of the past 50 years, as it has revolutionised modern societies, the media, politics and the way the three coexist, at a time where media institutions are more democratised than ever and the public has a say. Although the traditional media had long been associated with political propaganda, distorting and informational gate-keepingall of which led to societal control and manipulationthe Internet broke most of these barriers to a certain extent, raised public awareness and formed political thinking, becoming the beam of light to social and political evolution through various of different formats.

Digital Activism, Physical Activism

Contention, 2018

This article analyzes the interaction between the digital (online) and physical (offline) activism of Front Harsien ODZ, a Maltese environmental movement organization. It looks into how Front activists perceive these forms of activism and verifies how important each form is to the organization. Consequently, the research presented herein is operationalized through interviews with Front activists and through participant observation from an insider's point of view. This article concludes that activists within Front Harsien ODZ feel that they are part of a social network. The organization's recruitment, mobilization and activism techniques are at once digital and physical. Most Front activists were already part of preexisting social networks before joining the Front, and the new Front network made good use of Malta's political opportunity structures, including the Zonqor controversy; Malta's small size; and the country's vibrant media landscape.