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Digital Activism Decoded
The New Mechanics of Change

Digital Activism Decoded
The New Mechanics of Change

Mary Joyce, editor

international debate education association
New York & Amsterdam

Published by:
International Debate Education Association
400 West 59th Street
New York, NY 10019

Copyright © 2010 by International Debate Education Association
This work is licensedunder the Creative Commons Attribution License:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/deed.en_US

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Digital activism decoded : the new mechanics of change / Mary Joyce,
editor.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-932716-60-3
1. Information technology--Political aspects. 2. Internet--Political
aspects. 3. Cyberspace--Political aspects. 4. Socialmovements. 5.
Protest movements. I. Joyce, Mary (Mary C.)
HM851.D515 2010
303.48’40285--dc22
2010012414

Design by Kathleen Hayes
Printed in the USA

Contents

Preface: The Problem with Digital Activism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

vii

Introduction: How to Think About Digital Activism
Mary Joyce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .

1

Part 1: Contexts: The Digital Activism Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

15

Infrastructure: Its Transformations and E ect on Digital Activism
Trebor Scholz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

17

Applications: Picking the Right One in a Transient World
Dan Schultz and Andreas Jungherr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .

33

Devices: The Power of Mobile Phones
Brannon Cullum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

47

Economic and Social Factors: The Digital (Activism) Divide
Katharine Brodock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

71

Political Factors: Digital Activism in Closed and Open SocietiesTom Glaisyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

85

Part 2: Practices: Digital Actions in the Aggregate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

99

Activism Transforms Digital: The Social Movement Perspective
Anastasia Kavada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Digital Transforms Activism: The WebEcology Perspective
Tim Hwang . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Destructive Activism: The Double-Edged Sword of Digital Tactics
Steven Murdoch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Part 3: Effects: What Is Digital Activism’s Value? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

149

Measuring theSuccess of Digital Campaigns
Dave Karpf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
The New Casualties: Prisons and Persecution
Simon Columbus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Digital Politics as Usual
Rasmus Kleis Nielsen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181
The Future of Advocacy in a Networked Age
Sem Devillart and Brian Waniewski . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Conclusion: Building the Future of Digital Activism
Mary Joyce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Glossary
Talia Whyte and Mary Joyce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Aboutthe Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

vi

Digital Activism Decoded

Preface

The Problem with Digital Activism
Over the past few years, citizens around the world have become
increasingly aware of and interested in the expanding use of digital technologies—mobile phones and Internet-enabled devices,
for example—in campaigns...