What Activism has become ... Digital

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdmhAJ22saQ

The internet and social media have become powerful channels for learning about public issues, supporting causes or candidates and this can be done by voting online or by simply clicking like on facebook. Digital activism is described as grassroots activists using networked technologies for social and political change campaigns.

Political activism in its pre digital form was pounding the pavement to distribute printed handouts, door-to-door knocking for signatures on petitions, participating in rallies. In Today’s society we have online activism or digital activism, which uses online media sources like facebook and twitter to help social and political issues arise and changes if possible are made. For example Digital activism has played a part globally, the barrak Obama campaign or even more close to home for myself the save the Healesville hospital campaign. An Example of an organisation that allows for everyday Australians to cast their opinion on important issues is Get Up. Here is the link to the Website GetUp

Here is a link to a youtube clip where Simon Sheikh the Australian National Director of GetUp, Explains How he became part of the organisation and more about it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJTRh8JhAYU

This notion of digital activism has some people concerned about “slacktivism” or “clicktivism”  Slacktivsm is seen as a new style activist that just signs online petitions and shares it on social media sites such as Facebook and twitter.“The effect of digital technology on political contention is neither good nor bad, it is both. Yes, the Internet can help activists mobilize and re-frame public issues. It can also distract citizens and feed apathy.” Mary C Joyce (2011)

Alongside Digital activism is culture jamming or sniggling, is the use of existing mass media to comment on those very media themselves.

The term “culture jamming” “is based on the CB slang word “jamming” in which one disrupts existing transmissions. It usually implies an interruption, a sabotage, hoax, prank, banditry, or blockage of what are seen as the monolithic power structures governing cultural life.” (Harold, 2004)

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Adbusters are a group that is well known for their fair share of culture jamming campaigns. A major campaign they have is the buy nothing day campaign. Where people are encouraged not to but on anything on Americas thanksgiving holiday. Adbusters also sponsor Tv- Turn off week. An example of their adds is shown in the link below 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y0UJryM_8Q

So I leave you with this ….

Have you, the person reading my blog who would be sitting behind a computer or on their mobile device ever participated in digital activism? Have you ever clicked like on a Facebook site or signed an e-petition … Than YES you have!

Have we become so co-dependant with our mobile devices that we can’t live without them?

YES WE HAVE

The development of mobile technology has come so far from just talking on the phone to now being able to organise daily life, take photos, check emails, gamble, keep a food diary, text, and connect on social media and so much more all in the palm of our hand. As society has changed mobile devices have paralleled these changes and have kept us as a society connected with the world. Every one you talk to these days either owns a mobile phone themselves or knows someone who owns a mobile device. The age of mobile phone users is decreasing as these days a child is given a smartphone for entertainment whether it be a games or music ect.. people have become that accustom to their mobile phone that when being at concerts and events they whip their phone out and record it, only to realise they have missed out on watching the event live.

“The rapidly increasing use of the mobile communication technologies, especially within urban spaces, offers a new medium for telling stories, reading cities and personal authoring within these space.  Mobile devices are reshaping the way we communicate, interact, work and live.”

                (Ruston and Stein, 2005:1 The Work of Stories)

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Mobile usage has become second nature to most people with the first thing they do when they wake up is check their phone and the last thing they do before bed is check their phone. Have we become cyborg? We constantly have out mobile devices on our bodies, always looking for interaction, but do we ignore the interaction we given by others that is right in front of us? Think about the last time you were with a group of friends where you actually being attentive or were you sitting on your phone replying to a message or even on a social media website ? Sherry Turkle stated the mobile technology has made each of us ‘Pausable’ with our conversations always getting interrupted by incoming calls and text messages, is it not considered rude to just stop a conversation with someone you are having face to face to have one with someone over a mobile phone? People are afraid of loneliness, so they strive for that connection they get from their mobile device yet is that same devise doing the opposite, mobile devices are stopping us from having interaction with others.

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