Collective Action, Politics, and Protests

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March 11

Last class we learned about SOPA, and the fear that it engendered in many Internet commentators. SOPA lead to what is often considered the high-water mark of American engagement online in domestic policy circles (so far). But the Internet has been used for collective action since its inception. When does this work? When does it fail? Who gets included and who are we leaving behind? Does the Internet serve as a better facilitator to protests in some areas versus others?

Today will be an exploration of online protests and collective action, both in general and through the lens of some famous recent examples. Along the way we'll grapple with limitations of online protest activity, the criticisms weighed against online protest behavior, and some of the ethical questions that come up when different organizations fight for attention to their specific causes.

Joining us this week will be Alicia Solow-Niederman, a Berkman project manager who studies collective action online.


Readings/Watchings

Framing
Case Studies
  • You may also want to play around with the controversy mapper Media Cloud put together in connection with this report.
Observations, tactics, and methods

Optional Readings


Videos Watched in Class

Links

Class Discussion

Please remember to sign your postings by adding four tildes (~~~~) to the end of your contribution. This will automatically add your username and the date/time of your post, like so: Andy 11:51, 11 February 2014 (EST)

He also explained that people who claim that technology is neutral have typically zoomed out so far that the relationship between the individual, society and the technology are lost. He used the argument that while it may be accurate to say that either a gun or a toothbrush can be used to kill, but this theoretical accuracy is so abstract that it loses credibility.

I really like this, reminds me of Emergent properties Erin Saucke-Lacelle 15:48, 9 March 2014 (EDT)


Benkler et al's "Social Mobilization and the Networked Public Sphere" defines the networked public sphere as "an alternative arena for public discourse and political debate, an arena that is less dominated by large media entities, less subject to government control, and more open to wider participation." Thinking about how other parts of the public sphere are subject to each of these forces of control certainly makes the "public sphere" sound a little less "public." While the mainstream American media can often look like a circus, particularly if you're looking at the 24 hour news networks, with Benkler's ideas about the networked public sphere in mind, they don't really feel like something the public engages in. Rather, it is something we can engage with. Less a participatory medium than one that we have the option to either consume or not. Jkelly 12:01, 10 March 2014 (EDT)


I found the article mapping the Trayvon Martin case particularly interesting as I grew up near where the incident occurred and it caused such a frenzy all over Florida (and all over the country, for that matter). I happen to know someone really high up in the DA's office in FL, so hearing the facts of the case in comparison to what the media was broadcasting was shocking. The media completely created a story to propel their own political agenda and made it fit what they wanted to say. This is not at all to say that the message regarding race relations wasn't important, but it is interesting how they would squash facts which came up on the opposing side and emphasize and exaggerate other aspects so that they're telling the story that they want to tell. It's especially fascinating when you consider the story of Travyon to that of Jordan Davis, another black teenager who was shot by a white man in Florida, which was CLEARLY a race issue. Unlike the case of Trayvon, Davis's case was cut-and-dry, yet the latter case didn't get nearly as much media attention despite the fact that it could've actually spoken more loudly and to a more severe degree about race relations.

Castille 12:07, 10 March 2014 (EDT)


I thought the article on the KONY 2012 campaign and the concept of slack-tivism very interesting, especially since I remember very well watching the movement unfold and ultimately deflate. I do think that the internet can be effective in stirring debate and real change, but how we harness that power is ultimately unable to be controlled and can be easily manipulated, as we saw with the whole Kony movement. The organization was followed by scrutiny and met with a lot of accusations and controversy. However, the campaign did teach a valuable lesson: online movements can have real impacts and stir public conversation. The response from the video definitely brought Uganda to media attention as people investigated the message and the country.

There are some positive examples of collective action online, such as sites like Kickstarter that depend on action by strangers to support projects. It is a successful example, in a smaller and arguably more effective scale, on how the Internet is able to influence people’s lives and connect strangers.

Lpereira 19:51, 10 March 2014 (EDT)