Welcome to the The (il)legit activism blog!
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?
In times of fake news, climate denial propaganda, and digital troll/bot armés spreading disinformation with the purpose of steering development for the advantage of the few, the truth appears to be a rare thing. When even scientists aren’t taken seriously and their science is ignored, one might ask if there is such a thing as one truth anymore. And if there is, who has the right to decide on it?
“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.
In the (il)legit activism blog we want to explore what legitimate activism is and how activism on/through social media can be seen as (il)legit. Climate activists leverage digital media and manage to mobilize millions in collective battle with memes, TikToks, and reels. At the same time, it appears to be more challenging than ever for scientists to communicate their science and get policymakers, media, and the public to take it seriously. Serious journalism with fact checks and established processes for legitimacy is living side by side with activist communication where stories are published with a click and instantly reached by the masses. When opinions can be shared freely with millions in one part of the world, censorship with alternative ways of communicating is the reality for activists in other parts of the world. The illegit activism blog wants to examine communication from different activist groups fighting for everything from feminism to climate justice and look at how communication styles vary, with what effect and impact.
The mission of the (il)legit activism blog is to inspire, challenge, and encourage people to become involved in activism topics, regardless of whether they see themselves as activists or not. We aim to draw attention and awareness to how development communication takes many different forms and no longer is owned and published by only international development organizations. We want to showcase the many faces of activism communication and how activists today use new media to contribute to global development.
Behind the scenes
So who are the (il)legit activists behind the illegit activism blog and why are they excited about communication? The illegit activism blog is run by six master’s students from Malmö University, Sweden, studying Communication for Development. As a simple blog post could never do the task of defining Communication for Development (C4D) justice, we simply choose to link to some pages, people, and great minds doing that job. More about us and our interests;
- Agnes is a journalist, web editor, art critic, and writer based in Gothenburg, Sweden. In her writing- and academic career she has taken a large interest in the influence cultural expressions have on current social movements, and vice versa.
- Cecilia is a communicator with a background in corporate marketing and communication. Nowadays her main focus is climate change communication from different actors in society.
- Hampus is a political scientist interested in foreign affairs who has insights into activist communication in various contexts. He speaks Swedish, English and Spanish fluently, and can convey messages across cultural and linguistic borders.
- Indigo is a business and technology freelancer who has previously navigated the government administration world, interested in global business communication and the way people convey multicultural meanings within their conversations in an increasingly digital borderless world. She is an avid traveler to Japan and South Korea.
- Poliana is now a sustainability communicator and researcher at Sony Europe, and has also recently founded The House, an innovation hub run by women for women. Sign up to learn more about the initiative here: bit.ly/3sKq9K6.
- Stefan combines a broad social sciences background with professional experience across three continents including social work, media, business consulting, and education. On this blog, he looks into silence and symbols as forms of activism.
Central questions
Are all acts of activism legit? Are all activist methods justified as means for reaching a greater cause or vision? What communication styles from activists are more effective in reaching support with a broader audience and driving change? What activist communication styles are most impactful in influencing global discourse and development? We want to know what you think and invite you to interact with us around these questions. The authors on the blog all have their own (il)legit activist area of interest and with the broad topics being discussed we are confident that you will find one that you can engage in. Don’t hesitate to make your voice and opinion heard – leave a comment, question or start a dialogue, here or on our instagram account @theillegitactivismblog.