“Activists work to improve the lives of the people, communities and societies that make up our world...activism is not only about politics or protest...[it is] about knowing that you are responsible for the world around you, and that the skills you possess can and must be brought forward to help communities around the world” (Global pact 2011)
The traditional image of an activist fighting on the front line of justice is no more, a modern activist’s main tool is now his computer and his ability to use this communicate and bring people together for the same cause- Activism has now gone digital.
Henry Jenkins talks about the convergence of culture and how the internet is blurring the lines of distinction between cultures, which is ultimately creating Americanisation and a mono-culture (2006). The same theory can be employed when considering the use of the internet to ignite communication amongst differing social groups and global activism. Mary Joyce defines digital activism as; “The action of using digital technology for political and social change”. The Meta-Activism project will act as “a central location for people interested in building a body of knowledge about the fundamental mechanics of digital activism”(Readwriteweb 2011)
Joyce defines the two key elements that make digital activity platforms successful are the scale, in terms of how many people it can reach and the “use neutrality” which indicates the ease of use of the interface to make it openly accessible for the majority. That is why social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are good platforms to use, however, they are not the only way in which groups can form and communicate.
Facebook’s youth nature and vast student population meant that it was an effective platform used by activists of the recent student protests in London, to rally support. This digital platform provided access to thousands of students and provided an interface which facilitated discussion and communication. A group was set up called; “Students against UK top up fees reaching £7,500 per year”, which received 202, 535 likes. The online conversation then moved offline with the organised Millbank protest, where thousands of students joined to together to march together against one cause. I was there that day to represent my disapproval of the inflation student fees, but was saddened by the negative effect that activism can create by the uncontrollable and violent few (BBC 2011)
Digital activism has widened the conversation and created a global scale of communication between people with the same agenda, wether that be political or social. It has facilitated the rapid diffusion of ideas, opinions and actions, building solidarity amongst groups of people cross culturally. It has given those who previously felt as though their view was worthless a voice in the vast media landscape.
I think that both digital activism and traditional activism can work together to bring people together and provoke action. An example of such is when Green Peace took over the Stena Don oil rig. Green Peace have launched a campaign called Go Beyond Oil which was started after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and highlights the fact that oil companies are drilling deeper and deeper in the pursuit of oil.
Green peace out ran the Danish navy and took over the rig for 40 hours every hour of which was documented by Lisa Vickers. The charity used a multitude social networking platform through which to communicate to their audience. She sent live video feeds from the rig, took pictures, publishing these via Flickr, Twitter and Facebook, she also continuously blogged about her experience. The following videos were posted on Youtube to show their experiences.
Many people think about digital activism as a tool to ignite support for a certain campaign before it has even started and this is true, it provides a brilliant platform for conversation and debate, however, Green Peace has shown that the role of digital communications doesn’t have to stop there. Digital communication can be an ongoing medium of communication and support for digital activists, pre-campaign, during the campaign and provides a lasting legacy to spark an ongoing conversation.
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