Dtc35602.25

activism & social mediathe new, new social activism?

Tuesday, February 25, 14

social activism

• intentional action

• aimed at societal change

• focus on BOTH structural and everyday change


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


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.


democracy + public sphere

• key distinction public / private

• place of and for dissent

• demonstrations...++







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.


social movements

• frame agendas around KEY ISSUES and take action

• offer alternatives

• create dialogue

• force a change in the TERMS of the debate




global media and dissent

• WHAT / WHO makes it into the news and HOW

• media can control:

• images

• categories (what)

• voices (who)





add social media

• as ‘citizen media’

• increase visibility

• challenge the state and corp power

• more voices...





hype and hopeGladwell & Mirani


what is a ‘twitter revolution?’



the “Arab Spring” 2010-2011...






slacktivism?



mr. splashy pants...?

http://www.ted.com/talks/alexis_ohanian_how_to_make_a_splash_in_

social_media.html


http://www.ted.com/talks/alexis_ohanian_how_to_make_a_splash_in_social_media.html







not all or nothing

• multiple fronts

• what is the action in social action?

• how do movements make change?

• what counts?


where’s the change?

• what are the benchmarks for success?

• what are their goals (short, medium, long-term)

• types of goals (social, political, legal...)

• what types of SM do they use for each?


Dtc35602.25

Education