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Internet activism (also known as electronic advocacy, cyberactivism, and online organizing) is the use of communication technologies such as e-mail, web sites, and podcasts for various forms of activism to enable faster communications by citizen movements and deliver a message to a large audience. These Internet technologies are used for cause-related fundraising, lobbying, volunteering, community building, and organizing. Image File history File links Acap. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... A website, Web site or WWW site (often shortened to just site) is a collection of webpages, that is, HTML/XHTML documents accessible via HTTP on the Internet; all publicly accessible websites in existence comprise the World Wide Web. ... Podcasting is a way of publishing sound files to the Internet, allowing users to subscribe to a feed and receive new audio files automatically. ... Activism, in a general sense, can be described as intentional action to bring about social or political change. ... The word citizen may refer to: A person with a citizenship Citizen Watch Co. ... Fundraising is the process of soliciting and gathering money or other gifts in-kind, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. ... This article is about the political effort. ... This group of political volunteers is working to promote voter turn-out. ... Community building is a field of practices directed toward the creation or enhancement of community between individuals within a regional area (such as a neighbourhood) or with a common interest. ... For other uses, see Organising model and Union organizer. ...

Growth

The sophistication and impact of Internet activism seems to be growing. Its origins are arguably the early nineties when internet communications enabled Mexican rebel group The Zapatistas to reach out from behind the frontline in a previously unheard of manner, effectively networking with first world activists and stimulating the anti-globalization movement's Peoples Global Action. This group remained at the forefront of the movement, with large scale protests beginning in Geneva and London. Media activists utilized growing internet technologies to communicate their struggle, essentially creating the globalization of protest. Following extensive protest in London in which such media activism was developed, when the protests eventually hit America this had developed to such a point that a global network of internet activist sites, under the umbrella name of Indymedia, sprang up in 1999.

As a local example, in 1996, volunteers opposing the commercial aviation conversion of the former Marine Corps Air Station, El Toro in Orange County, CA started blogging on the El Toro Info Site [1] to rally grass-roots attention, money and manpower to their cause. The anti-airport effort eventually was successful. See "Internet for Activists - A hand-on guide to Internet tactics field-tested in the fight against building El Toro Airport" by Leonard Kranser.

In 1999, opponents of corporate-led globalization used the Internet effectively to coordinate protests against the World Trade Organization that came to be known as the "Battle of Seattle." Groups like MoveOn and Care2 have successfully used the Internet to raise funds and push their causes. U.S. election campaigns that have used the Internet successfully for fundraising or other purposes have included: This article is about the year. ... A KFC franchise in Kuwait. ... “WTO” redirects here. ... A Rainforest Action Network banner at Seattle during the protest. ... MoveOn is a progressive public policy organization that has raised millions of dollars for Democratic Party candidates in the United States. ... Care2 Care2 is a social network website that was founded by President and CEO Randy Paynter in 1998 to help connect activists from around the world. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countriesAtlas  Politics Portal      The United States has a federal government, with elected officials at federal (national), state and...

• Bill Bradley, who raised more than $2 million via the Internet in his 2000 Democratic U.S. presidential primary race
• Howard Dean, in his 2004 Democratic U.S. presidential primary race
• John Kerry, in his 2004 U.S. presidential run
• John McCain, in his 2000 Republican U.S. presidential primary race
• Jesse Ventura, in his successful third-party run for governor of Minnesota

Carol Darr, director of the Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., thinks the Internet works best as an organizing tool for "charismatic, outspoken mavericks" with "outsider" appeal in elections. It also invites a decentralized approach to campaigning that runs contrary to the traditional controlled, top-down, message-focused approach. "The mantra has always been, 'Keep your message consistent. Keep your message consistent,'" said John Hlinko, who has participated in Internet campaigns for MoveOn and the electoral primary campaign of Wesley Clark. "That was all well and good in the past. Now it's a recipe for disaster...You can choose to have a Stalinist structure that's really doctrinaire and that's really opposed to grassroots. Or you can say, 'Go forth. Do what you're going to do.' As long as we're running in the same direction, it's much better to give some freedom." [2] For other uses, see Bill Bradley (disambiguation) and William Bradley. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Howard Brush Dean III (born November 17, 1948) is an American politician and physician from the U.S. state of Vermont, and currently the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, the central organ of the Democratic Party at the national level. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is the junior United States Senator from Massachusetts, in his fourth term of office. ... “McCain” redirects here. ... Jesse Ventura (born James George Janos on July 15, 1951), also known as The Body, The Star, Governor Turnbuckle, and The Governing Body, is an American politician, retired professional wrestler, Navy UDT veteran, actor, and former radio and television talk show host. ... Capital Saint Paul Largest city Minneapolis Area  Ranked 12th  - Total 87,014 sq mi (225,365 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 8. ... The Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet (IPDI) studies the role of the Internet in politics with a view to improving citizen participation, enhancing democratic values and promoting better governance. ... The George Washington University (GW), is a private, coeducational university located in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The school was founded in 1821 as The Columbian College in the District of Columbia by Baptist ministers using funds bequeathed by George Washington. ... For other uses, see Washington, D.C. (disambiguation). ... Wesley Kanne Clark (born December 23, 1944) is a retired four-star general of the United States Army. ... For architecture, see Stalinist architecture. ...

According to some observers, the Internet may have considerable potential to reach and engage opinion leaders who influence the thinking and behavior of others. According to the Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet, "Online Political Citizens" (OPCs) are "seven times more likely than average citizens to serve as opinion leaders among their friends, relatives and colleagues…Normally, 10% of Americans qualify as Influentials. Our study found that 69% of Online Political Citizens are Influentials." [3]

The Internet has also made it easier for small donors to play a meaningful role in financing political campaigns. Previously, small-donor fundraising was prohibitively expensive, as costs of printing and postage ate up most of the money raised. Groups like MoveOn, however, have found that they can raise large amounts of money from small donors at minimal cost, with credit card transaction fees constituting their biggest expense. "For the first time, you have a door into the political process that isn't marked 'big money,' " says Darr. "That changes everything." [4]

Criticism

Internet activism has been criticized on grounds that it gives disproportionate access to affluent or technically aware activists, marginalising minorities and elderly citizens due to lack of access to or confidence in emerging technologies.

This concern is especially relevant in developing countries, where many people still lack even the basic literacy needed to access written materials on Internet. However, projects such as the open source movement and A-Infos Radio project have consciously tried to reduce economic barriers to entry, and in developed countries such as the United States, this concern appears to be fading; a recent study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project suggested that more than 90% of Americans have access to the World Wide Web either directly or through work and family. Studies by both Pew and Nielsen indicate that the elderly are one of the fastest growing demographics on the Web, and one of the most literate in computer use.  High human development Medium human development Low human development Unavailable (colour-blind compliant map)   Developing countries not listed as least developed countries or as newly industrialized countries, in their respective articles. ... This article is about the ability to read and write. ... Open source refers to projects that are open to the public and which draw on other projects that are freely available to the general public. ... The A-Infos Radio Project was formed in October 1996 by Lyn Gerry and other grassroots broadcasters, free radio journalists and cyber-activists to provide the means to share radio programs via the Internet, in direct response to a reorganisation of the Pacifica radio station that eliminated many of its... In economics and especially in the theory of competition, barriers to entry are obstacles in the path of a firm which wants to enter a given market. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... WWWs historical logo designed by Robert Cailliau The World Wide Web (commonly shortened to the Web) is a system of interlinked, hypertext documents accessed via the Internet. ... When TV viewers or entertainment professionals in the United States mention ratings they are often referring to Nielsen Ratings, a system developed by Nielsen Media Research to determine the audience size and composition of television programming. ...

Another concern, expressed by author and law professor Cass Sunstein, is that online political discussions lead to "cyberbalkanization"—discussions that lead to fragmentation and polarization rather than consensus, because the same medium that lets people access a large number of news sources also lets them pinpoint the ones they agree with and ignore the rest.

"The experience of the echo chamber is easier to create with a computer than with many of the forms of political interaction that preceded it," Sunstein told the New York Times. "The discussion will be about strategy, or horse race issues or how bad the other candidates are, and it will seem like debate. It's not like this should be censored, but it can increase acrimony, increase extremism and make mutual understanding more difficult." The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ...

"The Internet connects all sides of issues, not just an ideologically broad anti-war constituency, from the leftists of ANSWER to the pressed-for-time 'soccer moms' who might prefer MoveOn, and conservative activists as well," observes Scott Duke Harris. According to University of California professor Barbara Epstein, however, the Internet "allows people who agree with each other to talk to each other and gives them the impression of being part of a much larger network than is necessarily the case." She warns that the impersonal nature of communication by computer may actually undermine important human contact that always has been crucial to social movements. [5] However, some Internet sites, such as Meetup.com, have been used by activists to overcome the social isolation that can result from extensive solitary internet use. In the common law, an answer is the first pleading by a defendant, usually filed and served upon the plaintiff within a certain strict time limit after a civil complaint or criminal information or indictment has been served upon the defendant. ... Meetup. ...

Politics on the The Net

Mostly every new invention nowadays comes with in-built politics , which affect the one's sees and perceives the world around . Internet is also one of them , from small group of online activists to huge political parties , everyone is trying to get a hold of the power of this technology .

The most important aspect of Internet and politics associated with it , is that anyone in the world can access it and freely share their opinions with everyone , without feeling the pressure of being caught or identified . People's names changed to nicknames , their house address changed to IP address , which "de-personalised" someone behind the computer . As John Perry Barlow stated that Internet was "the most transforming technological event since the catch of fire", which implies that it gave power to people that they never thought about. As in the Dark Ages ancient people were scared of animals, nowadays people became scared of their powerful Governments.

Internet politics is mostly about reaching the wide audience without any bans or restrictions imposed . The protests in Bangkok , USA and many other countries show how Internet can become a powerful tool in the hands of humans , who utilise it according to their needs. Many websites has been launched since the birth of the Internet, each one of them promoting different ideas and solutions, one of them is Active Sydney, which was launched in January 1999,[6]. It is more of online bulletin board , which encourages everyone to contribute interesting stories about life in and outside Sydney.

In many other less fortunate countries, governments use access to Internet as a tool of politics to restrict people from accessing the outside world. In order to keep their people under control they ban the websites, shutdown servers and do whatever it takes to "brainwash" people. Many cases in China and Singapore only re-confirm my point.

To conclude, I would like to emphasise that Internet is a massive information machine, which can be used for greater good or greater bad, that is when one must remember that knowledge is power and must be only used for constructive purposes.

Internet Activism: Active Sydney

Active-Sydney is a prime example of social activism taking place on the internet. Active Sydney claims to be ‘an on-line interactive forum for information about social change in Sydney’"^[1]". It achieves this status through its website and three email lists that provide detailed and up to date information on where activist events, such as demonstrations, marches and seminars, are taking place.

The website is a great starting point for anyone looking to get involved in such social activist movements. It provides up to date news on global warming, warfare, politics and corruption, giving its audience an ‘alternative view’ from that of the larger media organisations. These stories are able to be replied to by the audience and in turn give those reading the articles the chance to discuss current issues and find ways to fix these problems. The website also provides a calendar of current rallies, seminars and workshops, links to ‘groups involved in social change’ and a ‘how to section offering links to practical guides and strategies for campaigning and lobbying’"^[2]".

The emails available for subscription complement the resources available on the website. Active Sydney makes available three separate emails. The first provides information on current activist events updated daily. The second is a weekly publication that summarises the first email. The final email is ‘an unmoderated daily forum for discussion,’ that also forwards the news presented by the audience. These emails further highlights the ease and simplicity to the access of activist information via the internet.

Active Sydney has used the internet to successfully promote activism in the Sydney area. Its goals to ‘encourage participation, provide a central information repository and provide a space for meetings and collaborations’"^[3]" have been made much more attainable via the use of the internet. It currently holds over 1200 subscribers, with more enlisting as the ideal of internet activism becomes more popular in modern society.

www.activesydney.org.au

Internet Activism: We are all boat people

Another prime example of internet activism is the movement called "We are all boat people". It too, like, "Active Sydney" is an Australian activist project with international proportions. Grahem Meikle, accounts for Manuel Castells’s assertion that today, “social movements must think local (relating to their own concerns and identity) and act global – at the level where it really matters today" (Meikle, 2004, p.75)

"We are all boat people" is a movement which does exactly this "We are all boat people" is a project set up in opposition to the Australian governments handling of asylum seekers and was launched in October 2001. By 2003 the movement had 47 000 visitors, and 435 people who signed up for email subscriptions (Meikle, 2004, 81). The site, although "simply and economically designed" (Meikle, 2004, p.74), the site utilises particular technologies which promote the user to participate and produce there own content. Participation and user generated content is an integral and distinctive feature of net activism, and more importantly "the essence of the site is the call to participation" (Meikle, 2004, p.83)

Mielke asserts that a primary and effective example of the technology used to do this on the site is the "tool kit". The tool kits includes things as varied as making origami boats, street stencil formats, copies of ‘debunking the myth’ which includes various facts and perspectives of the asylum seeker issue. It also must be said, that internet activism has no way diminished the importance of face-to-face campaigning, but rather, encouraged new forms of activism, with the ability to hold a 'local' character and the opportunity for global effect.

You can access the We are all boat people site here.

Other Net Activist sites that are worth checking out can be accessed via these links:

Photovoice - a project that promotes social change through photography and the internet. It has a very local identity, yet wishes to have a global effect. "Photovoice enables us to gain "the possibility of perceiving the world from the viewpoint of the people who lead lives that are different from those traditionally in control of the means for imaging the world." As such, this approach to participatory appraisal values the knowledge put forth by people as a vital source of expertise. (Photovoice, 2007).

Mc Spotlight– a project that likes to promote alternative views on the Mc Donald cooperation.

The Yes Men - a project that wishes to ‘humiliate’ and ‘out’ big coperations and leaders who put making profits above all else.

See also

• 501(c)(4)
• 527 group
• 9/11 Truth Movement
• A-Infos Radio Project
• Activism
• Advocacy
• America Coming Together
• America Votes
• Blogging
• Center for American Progress
• Citizens United
• Community informatics
• Community organizing
• Community practice
• Digital rights
• Dropping Knowledge
• E-democracy
• Ecologyfund.com
• Electronic Frontier Foundation
• EMILY's List
• Environment 2004
• Flash mob
• Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure
• Grassroots
• Hacktivism
• Indymedia
• International Freedom of Expression Exchange
• John G. McNutt
• Log Cabin Republicans
• Media Fund
• New Democrat Network
• Nosamo
• Nuclear Threat Initiative
• ONE Campaign
• Public policy
• Social policy
• Social work
• Soft money
• Virtual community
• Vlogging

501(c) is a provision of the United States Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. Â§ 501(c)), listing twenty-eight types of non-profit organizations exempt from some Federal income taxes. ... A 527 group is a type of tax-exempt organization named after a section of the United States tax code, created primarily to influence the nomination, election, appointment or defeat of candidates for public office. ... The 9/11 Truth Movement is the name adopted by the loosely-connected organizations and individuals that question the mainstream account of the September 11, 2001 attacks against the United States. ... The A-Infos Radio Project was formed in October 1996 by Lyn Gerry and other grassroots broadcasters, free radio journalists and cyber-activists to provide the means to share radio programs via the Internet, in direct response to a reorganisation of the Pacifica radio station that eliminated many of its... Activism, in a general sense, can be described as intentional action to bring about social or political change. ... Advocacy is the act of arguing on behalf of a particular issue, idea or person. ... America Coming Together (ACT) is a left-wing, political action, 527 group dedicated to get-out-the-vote activities. ... America Votes is a 527 group non_partisan political organization formed in July 2003 made up of a coalition of grassroots political groups to coordinate their work in the swing states on the 2004 presidential election. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Center for American Progress is a progressive American political policy research and advocacy organization. ... Citizens United is a conservative non-profit organization headed by David Bossie. ... // Community informatics (CI) , also known as community networking, electronic community networking, community-based technologies or community technology refers to an emerging set of principles and practices concerned with the use of information and communication technology (ICT) for the personal, social, cultural or economic development of and within communities. ... Community organizing is a process by which people are brought together to act in common self-interest. ... Community Practice is a branch of social work in the United States that focuses on larger social systems and social change, and is tied to the historical roots of United States social work. ... The term Digital Rights is indicative of the freedom of individuals to perform actions involving the use of a computer, electronic device, or a communications network. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... E-democracy (a neologism and contraction of electronic democracy) is the utilization of electronic communications technologies, such as the Internet, in enhancing democratic processes within a democratic republic or representative democracy. ... Ecologyfund. ... EFF Logo The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is an international non-profit advocacy and legal organization based in the United States with the stated purpose of being dedicated to preserving free speech rights such as those protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution in the context of... EMILYs List is a political action committee (PAC) in the United States that aims to help elect pro-choice Democratic women to office. ... A downtown Toronto pillow fight flash mob. ... The Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure or FFII is a lobbying association based in Munich, Germany. ... A grassroots political movement is one driven by the constituents of a community. ... Hacktivism (from hack and activism) is often understood as the writing of code, or otherwise manipulating bits, to promote political ideology - promoting expressive politics, free speech, human rights, or information ethics. ... The Independent Media Center, also called Indymedia or the IMC, is a loose network of amateur or alternative media organizations and journalists who organize into decentralized collectives, normally around geographic locations. ... International Freedom of Expression eXchange. ... John G. McNutt is an associate professor of social work at the University of South Carolina, and a leading researcher on the use of information and communication technologies in the nonprofit sector. ... For other uses, see Log Cabin Republican (disambiguation). ... The Media Fund is a 527 Group, active in U.S. politics, which was supporting John Kerrys campaign for President. ... The New Democrat Network is a United States political group that promotes left-wing Democratic candidates. ... Nosamo (Korean: 노사모; acronym for 노무현을 사랑하는 사람들의 모임 gathering of people who love Roh Moo-hyun) is an internet-based group organised in 2000 as a fan club for the South Korean politician and current president Roh Moo-hyun. ... The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) is a an American public charity founded by Ted Turner and Sam Nunn which exists to strengthen global security by reducing the the spread of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, and also to reduce the risk that they will actually be used. ... ONE Campaign logo. ... Public policy is a course of action or inaction chosen by public authorities to address a problem. ... Social policy is the study of the welfare state, and the range of responses to social need. ... Professional social workers are concerned with social problems, their causes, their solutions and their human impacts. ... Soft money refers to money used to advance a particular political campaign in such a manner as to skirt the legal limits on how much money individuals or organizations are allowed to contribute to political campaigns (termed hard money). ... A virtual community, e-community or online community is a group of people that primarily interact via communication media such as letters, telephone, email or Usenet rather than face to face. ... Videoblog, a portmanteau combining video, web, and log, (usually shortened to vlog) is a blog that includes video clips. ...

References

This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Joe Trippi is the worlds foremost authority on Diet Pepsi, a fact that dismays the Cocal Cola company to no end. ... John G. McNutt is an associate professor of social work at the University of South Carolina, and a leading researcher on the use of information and communication technologies in the nonprofit sector. ...

External links

• "GCommerce" Online Activism Info & Documentary Film