On this blog we set out to examine activist communication styles and how they connect to digital spaces, new media, international development and ultimately also social change. We have come across a whole palette of different communication styles and methods, including everything from alpacas to book bans to clicktivism, guided by the overarching question of “what is legit activism”?
The aim of this final blog is tenfold in its approach and argues that global citizens who thrive in digital spaces bring valuable contributions and knowledge to multicultural societies, that they are self-made from their specific experiences and cultural characteristics, which are, in some cases, unique to their hybrid individual identity.
Climate change memes as an effective activist communication tool As highlighted in previous blog posts, climate activists use a wide variety of communication styles, methods, narratives, and rhetoric for convincing, engaging, mobilizing and for putting pressure on policy makers. In my first blog post, so called shaming how-dare-you rhetoric from …
Hi there, In this final blog post, I would again like to address the act of blogging for (il)legit activism and/or development, and put toe to toe with journalism, as I briefly touched upon in my first blog post. I will address social media as well, which here should be seen as ways of micro-blogging.
In my first blog post, I discussed how there has been a rise in the United States when it comes to censoring school curricula and materials available across school libraries. I mentioned how especially books related to LGBTQ issues have been targeted, and how this has caused outrage amongst countless students, many of which have been organizing together in order to demand the right to be able to read about such issues in their schools (Drabinski, 2023).
The essence of street art is to appeal to many people given that it is a form of art done in public areas, which may be perceived as unusual. Diverse art forms, like graffiti, and stencil, which are the ones I am approaching in this post with the “Pimp My Carroça” project, contribute to the vibrant and ever-evolving nature of street art, transcending linguistic boundaries and expressing opinions on poverty, war, environmental pollution, and other important global issues.
Online activism has become a powerful tool for social and political change in many parts of the world (Tüfekçi, 2017). In many regions, however, the internet is not as open and free of a space as we would like to think. China is a prime example of a country where online activism faces significant challenges due to government censorship and control.
In this collaborative interactive blog post, we would like to explore how activists work with interactive communication in digital ways to create dialogue and participation around development questions. We take a closer look at activists using communication methods that seem to recognize this phenomenon, and instead of attracting passive slacktivism, invite their audiences to real engagement and contribution. Could activist communication that taps into digital/viral trends achieve more than just attention? And could this type of communication lead to enhanced engagement, dialogue, mobilization, and change? Or is Online Activism Slacktivism?
As I mentioned in my previous blog, contextualizing digital information matters. We live in a world where books get banned from public schools because individuals claim it is about “divisive and controversial subjects” and “taught Critical Race Theory.” The contribution I want to make with my second blog is to turn our attention to differences and similarities and how we communicate with each other in multicultural digital spaces, since I socially engage in various global citizen activities daily, including work.
Art is, by definition, in the Britannica Dictionary: something that is created with imagination and skill and that is beautiful or that expresses important ideas or feelings. So, we can say it is very useful when it comes to making people think and feel. One name that stands out very strong among the ranks of iconic artists is Banksy, the British street artist whose works break through traditional barriers. Through a combination of humour, provocation, and creative originality however, it is these topics that Banksy’s art speaks about in societies where politics, poverty and social distinction are poorly articulated.
In this first intro-post, I would like to briefly introduce you to a subject I intend to dive deeper into in following posts. The subject I will address is the act of blogging and using social media for (il)legit activism, and put this toe to toe with journalism. The first question we need to ask is this one: Is journalism activism? I would argue, and I think most journalists would agree, that it is not. Mainly because it’s sole purpose is to provide information, and doing so in an impartial manner. Being an activist is, one could argue, quite the opposite – you have a very clear agenda.
In my first post on the (il)legit activism blog, I’d like to approach the topic of silence in activism. Can silence convey a message? What can silence achieve? And how can we understand and interpret silence? Can silence be legit activism? When I hear the word ‘activism’, many things come to mind: People in the streets marching, holding up banners, and chanting the message they want to get across. Also, demonstrations, rallies, speeches, petitions, marches and more. None of these immediate associations with activism are silent. On the contrary, most of them are rather loud, and to some extent, I would probably expect activism to be loud by nature, after all, activism tends to have something to say.
In our rapidly evolving and hyper-connected world, information knows no bounds, transcending geographical and cultural boundaries. While the digital age has granted us unprecedented access to knowledge, it has also eroded the importance of cultivating a healthy dose of skepticism. As I perused my social media feed, I couldn’t help but reflect upon the frequent encounters with information that required a more discerning eye. The phrase “I don’t care” reverberated in my thoughts, reminding me of the necessity for skepticism, especially when dealing with essential and problematic social issues.
In this first blog post from my side, I’m interested in taking a closer look at the language, communication, and rhetoric used by climate activists. I am interested in climate change communication – how the climate crisis is communicated by different actors in society and how it is received. I am especially fascinated by feelings and emotions connected to climate change communication. What kind of emotions does the sender intend to trigger at the receiver end and with hope for what action? Equally interesting is of course to understand how climate change communication is perceived by the receiver and what behavior changes it potentially leads to.
There has been a rise in the United States when it comes to censoring school curricula and materials available across school libraries. Especially books related to LGBTQ issues have been targeted. This has caused outrage amongst many students, and many of them are organizing to demand the right to read about such issues in their schools. The mission of The Illegit Activist Blog is to blog is to inspire, challenge, and encourage people to become involved in activism topics, regardless of whether they label themselves as activists or not. It is for this reason that it is worth raising the topic of the demonstrating student in the United States, since many of those demonstrating are people who have become engaged and that might not usually engage in such activist activities.
We are super excited to kick off this journey and would in this very first post like to introduce you to the overall idea that’s behind this blog, and also shortly introduce ourselves. After all, who are we to evaluate if something is legitimate or not, if our readers won’t have the possibility to assess if they can trust us? “Illegit” is a play on the words legitimate/illegitimate, where the ‘i’ also stands for the person who ultimately decides on the (il)legitimacy of activism on their own terms. Likewise, “I” in English serves as a conversation opener.
