Blog Post #4 Activism and Protest
It is very easy to find information, share and bring awareness to a campaign but to hold the attention or to fulfill the purpose of awareness, eg. raise funds, change ideals or behaviors is not as straight forward. How do you turn 'likes' into dollars or into participation at a physical event. Its seems nowadays there are so many voices speaking out.. you cant help everyone! I am currently involved in two groups through facebook, one is a community rallying around a mother of four who is very unwell and undergoing treatment, the purpose is to raise funds to help pay for her treatments and to also give her a distraction during this very difficult time and spread the message of hope. The other is an awareness and information group on the threat of Ebola to Australia, its purpose is to share news articles, and updates within the community. I feel a part of these communities and will probably join more in the future. As noted in the article Tweets and Streets ... "social media have been chiefly responsible for the construction of a choreography of assembly" .."facebook admins and activist tweeps become 'soft leaders'... setting the scene and constructing... [a] space.. which collective action can unfold (Gerbaudo 2012 p.5)". These platforms have certainly helped groups communicate on a broader, faster level. But as noted in the Youmans and York article "social media provide the tools for organised dissent yet can contain collective action (Youmans 2012 p.316)". There are limitations on the functions the programs provide and also the terms by which users are bound. Also facebook and twitter are ultimately companies who are striving for better functionality to increase users and ultimately higher revenue.
In past social justice campaigns such as women's rights and the introduction of feminism in the 60's and 70's we see the ideology spread by posters, books, word of mouth all inspired by a cultural shift, questioning the rules and ideology of the time. If facebook and twitter were around in the 70's would the conversation of equality have risen faster? Would the rallies and marches, burning bras and the music seen still of had the impact they did? Social media cuts down on time, for groups of people to meet face to face and collectively discuss and plan action could take weeks/months. For a group to be having a conversation online to plan the same objectives could take a few hours/days. But is there something missing, are you as accountable when participating online, hiding behind you computer screen. The term 'slacktivism' was created to describe this "feel good activism that has zero political impact or social impact but creates an illusion (Gerbaudo 2012 p.5)"... 'that you are participating and making a difference'.
Kony 2012: This campaign was very successful in raising awareness and getting people to share, like & comment bringing these injustice’s to light, but the campaign was just as quickly squashed and never seemed to have any resolve or impact on the actual issue. Jason Russell the founder was a brilliant marketer and even had Oprah Winfrey on board, as reported by Tory Shepard for news.com.au ‘Kony 2012 raised many millions of dollars, but all of the money went into promotional items and events for the awareness campaign but nothing was going to the actual cause’. In a sad twist the founder Jason Russell was filmed displaying very strange behaviour and it was reported he had a nervous breakdown. The learning from this is of how a message can spread and get people on board so quickly using social media but it can also be its worst enemy.
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Electronic Frontiers Australia 2014, viewed 22 September 2014, <https://www.efa.org.au/>.
Gerbaudo, P 2012, Tweets and the Streets : Social Media and Contemporary Activism, Pluto, London.
Greenpeace 2014, viewed 22 September 2014, <http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/getinvolved/>
Getup 2014, viewed 22 September 2014, <https://www.getup.org.au/>.
Journeyman Pictures 2007, Adbusters - USA, 5 December, viewed 22 September 2014, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V413pjEj17Q>.
Kony 2012, Invisible Children, 5 March, viewed 22 September 2014, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc>.
Lievrouw, L 2011, Alternative & Activist New Media, Polity, Cambridge, U.K, p. 2.
Marshall, L 2004, ‘Culture Jam’, Urban Dictionary, November 29, viewed 22 September 2014, <http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=culture%20jam>.
Mossberger, K., Tolbert, C., & McNeal, R 2008, Digital Citizenship: The Internet, Society, and Participation, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass.
Truthloader 2013, Joseph Kony 2012: What happened to Invisible Children? – Truthloader , 5 March, viewed 22 September 2014, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okmswBs4rdg>.
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