Armchair activists?

I have to admit I initially struggled with the concept of digital activism.  As usual though, I overcomplicated it.  My basic understanding is that digital activism is any cause, social/political action or similar that makes use of the internet, and in particular, social media, to spread its message and gain support.

Masters of Media

Rather than being a new form of activism, digital activism simply utilises the growing power of the web to add to its effectiveness.  As Allison Fine notes in her book 'Momentum: Igniting Social Change in the Connected Age', connectedness is faciliated and strengthened by technology, as opposed to coming directly from it.  We can see this in the plethora of Facebook pages set up to promote causes: Gay Marriage Rights in Australia, which promotes marriage equality, and Waterworks which promotes access to clean water are a couple of examples that pop up regularly in my Facebook feed. Although simply clicking 'Like' on one of these pages doesn't enact change, it is a starting point and provides a first point of contact.  At the very least, it gets people thinking, and hopefully some will take that thought and turn it into action.

One of the most interesting examples of digital activism I came across was The Harry Potter Alliance, set up by a group of fans of the Harry Potter books, whose mission is to use popular culture to engage and mobilize citizens around issues of equality, literacy and human rights.  What the Harry Potter Alliance has done is draw on the popularity of J.K Rowling's books, and the associated films, to bring together fans of the series in working towards a better world, just as Harry Potter and his friends did. 

On the downside, the tools used by digital activists can also be used against them.  The very tools digital activists use to change power structures, are also used by repressive governments to prevent change - through censorship, surveillance and propaganda.  In 2009, an Iranian government website posted photos of alleged protestors, and invited members of the public to identify them so they could be arrested.  In China, people are paid to post pro-government comments on websites, chatrooms and bulletin boards.


As with anything good, there will always be people who attempt to thwart positive change.  And there will always be critics, those who say that digital activism is merely creating armchair activists, who think they're making the world a better place by clicking 'Like' on a Facebook page or sharing a status update or photo.  But instead of being cynical, I prefer to see digital activism as another tool in the arsenal of those trying to enact social change and bring about equality.  The more people who are aware of what's going on in the world, and the suffering and inequality some of earth's citizens are subjected to, then maybe, just maybe, changes will begin to take place.