Digital activism is no longer the new communication method on the block. The use of the Internet and other forms of digital media like email, social media, or even ‘hacktivism’ to mobilise people across the globe and facilitate political action has become ubiquitous.
Almost every modern movement – whether it is the Black Lives Matter movement, the youth-led Fridays for Future marches, or the Iranian women’s rights protests – uses digital media to organise, allow for fast and easy communication, and spotlight atrocities. Even counter-movements like Q-Anon have thrived in the digital media space and use it to serve their needs.
In the process of becoming established and professionalised, digital activism has entered a new, more complicated era of debate. The question is no longer whether digital activism and social media are a force for good in activism. Instead, the discourse has evolved to explore questions such as: how can social media tools be governed ethically? Which movements or activists are using digital tools most effectively? And how is digital activism evolving as the technology, ethical considerations, and user demographics evolve?
These are the questions that our blog will seek to explore. We will focus on the emerging and establishing trends within digital activism. Our collective of bloggers will explore, amongst others, the challenges and opportunities facing activists, how Generation Z are reshaping digital activism, and how platform capitalism is coming into conflict with digital activism.
We aim to add value and nuance to the discussion about digital activism and provide clear, concise, and insightful commentary on emerging trends that can help people in the sector develop their digital communications strategies or stay abreast of current developments.
So that is what you can expect from us on this blog over the next 6 weeks.
But who are ‘we’?
Denesha Brar – Based in London, U.K, Denesha is the Associate Director of Communications at a global donor collaborative. With a decade of working in communications within the philanthropy sector, Denesha has a special interest in gender equality and development. For this blog, her focus will be on how younger generations who have grown up with social media use it differently for their activism than older generations of activists, including memes and humour.
Sara Carelli – Originally from Sweden but based in Rome with her three children and cat, Sara is a Head of Productions for an Italian Production Company producing TV formats/Films and Documentaries. For this blog, she will explore how democracy could be affected by the rise of deep fakes on the internet. She will then connect democracy with an analysis of the Glen Cantave movement concluding with an academic reflection on this trend.
Elias Isaksson – Based in Sweden, Elias has a strong interest in exploring the trends that can be seen in how governments respond to digital activism and the strategies that are used in different countries to either embrace or crush digital activism.
Joshua Wengert – Joshua is a communications and marketing expert in the renewables sector. He is passionate about environmental and social movements, especially those challenging capitalist influences. For this blog, he will explore platform capitalism, the unseen powers in our digital world, and the emerging digital proletariat’s labour movements.
To stay up to date
To stay up to date with our blog, follow us on Twitter/X here. We will be posting there regularly about new posts so get involved!
Signing off until our next post,
Denesha, Sara, Elias, and Joshua
More Posts
- A big thank you from our team
- No Laughing Matter: Is Gen Z’s use of humour in digital activism helpful or harmful to their causes?
- Echo Chambers of Dissent: The Digital Nexus of Right-Wing Populism and Algorithmic Amplification in Digital Activism
- Tech regulations: are they enough to sustain a democratic development supporting humanitarian development needs and digital activism?
- How governments fight online activism