social media and social activism

1. activism & social media
the new, new social activism?
Tuesday, February 25, 14

2. social activism
• intentional action
• aimed at societal change
• focus on BOTH structural and everyday
change
Tuesday, February 25, 14

3. social justice
• producing a ‘just’ society
• focus on the distribution of rights,
opportunities, and resources
• inequalities and structural abuses of
power at multiple levels
• citizens + democracy
Tuesday, February 25, 14

4. What is democracy?
• A political system for choosing and replacing
government through free and fair elections.
• Active participation of the people, as
citizens, in politics and civic life.
• Protection of the human rights of all citizens.
• A rule of law, in which the laws and
procedures apply equally to all citizens.
Tuesday, February 25, 14

5. democracy + public sphere
• key distinction public / private
• place of and for dissent
• demonstrations...++
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11. MLK: letter from a Birmingham Jail
You may well ask: "Why direct action? Why sit-ins,
marches, and so forth? Isn't negotiation a better path?"
You are quite right in calling for negotiation. Indeed, this is the
very purpose of direct action. Nonviolent direct action seeks
to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a
community which has constantly refused to negotiate is
forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the
issue that it can no longer be ignored. My citing the creation of
tension as part of the work of the nonviolent-resister may
sound rather shocking. But I must confess that I am not afraid
of the word "tension." I have earnestly opposed violent
tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent
tension which is necessary for growth.
Tuesday, February 25, 14

12. social movements
• frame agendas around KEY ISSUES and
take action
• offer alternatives
• create dialogue
• force a change in the TERMS of the
debate
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15. global media and dissent
• WHAT / WHO
makes it into the
news and HOW
• media can control:
• images
• categories (what)
• voices (who)
Tuesday, February 25, 14

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19. add social media
• as ‘citizen media’
• increase visibility
• challenge the state and corp power
• more voices...
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23. hype and hope
Gladwell & Mirani
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24. what is a ‘twitter revolution?’
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26. the “Arab Spring” 2010-2011...
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31. slacktivism?
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33. mr. splashy pants...?
http://www.ted.com/talks/
alexis_ohanian_how_to_make_a_splash_in_
social_media.html
Tuesday, February 25, 14

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35. not all or nothing
• multiple fronts
• what is the action in social action?
• how do movements make change?
• what counts?
Tuesday, February 25, 14

36. where’s the change?
• what are the benchmarks for success?
• what are their goals (short, medium, longterm)
• types of goals (social, political, legal...)
• what types of SM do they use for each?
Tuesday, February 25, 14