Internet Activism

The Internet has become a critical forum for social and political activism around the world. A wide diversity of political views are expressed through email, blogs, and websites. The Internet is ideally suited to social movements that are dispersed, are lacking a clear core or periphery, and stand in sharp contrast to the hierarchical control of information found in traditional, corporatized media outlets. Internet activism takes various forms, including Twitter hashtags, Facebook pages, email campaigns, blogs, and digital fund-raising.

[Page 441]Cyberspace has significantly broadened the number of voices heard in the international political arena. By forging alliances, cyberactivists can turn local struggles into global ones and increase their fund-raising power. These alliances allow resistance to be conceived as something other than the local in confrontation with ...