{"id":129882,"date":"2012-02-14T22:03:40","date_gmt":"2012-02-15T03:03:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.prosebeforehos.com\/?p=129882"},"modified":"2012-12-26T20:06:55","modified_gmt":"2012-12-27T01:06:55","slug":"internet-instrument-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prosebeforehos.com\/cultural-correspondent\/02\/14\/internet-instrument-change\/","title":{"rendered":"The Internet: An Instrument, Not An Instigator, Of Change"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recently, an image has circulated around the web and in the process has gained quite a bit of popularity. What is it? Nothing more than Homer Simpson\u2019s favorite food, the donut, explaining the bevy of social media outlets in which we waste an inordinate amount of time every day. Initially, the donut seems to be an odd medium through which to explain media networks, however upon further reflection the relationship between donuts and social media is quite evident: both, when consumed in excess amounts are unhealthy and make us unappealing to others. <\/p>\n

\"Social<\/p>\n

However, in between tweeting about eating a donut and posting a Lomo-fied image of the sprinkled pastry on Instagram, it seems that displaying your pro-donut activism has somehow managed to become a new property of nearly all of the aforementioned social media sites.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s not necessarily a bad thing. Beginning with the tweets and rallies of Moldovan protestors against their Communist government in a capital city square in the spring of 2009, many mark the year as the inception of social media’s influence on subsequent political and social upheavals around the world. From Tehran to Tahrir Square, many in the West have lauded the Internet and its various social outlets for introducing a new wave of inclusive activism \u2014 some to the point where Twitter was actually considered to be a contender for the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. (In case you were unaware, these tweeting devotees had consumed far too many donuts.)<\/p>\n

\"Anti-SOPA<\/p>\n

In light of recent anti-SOPA and PIPA successes coupled with the backlash involving the Susan G. Komen Foundation\u2019s threat to sever financial relations with Planned Parenthood<\/a>, many are quick to declare the Internet and online activism to be the victors against proposed legislation that could potentially lead to online censorship and allegedly politicized budget cut proposals that would endanger the health of many women in the United States. <\/p>\n

To be sure, both are incredible accomplishments, but is it right to say that it was the Internet that won them both for us? At a point in time wherein we find ourselves looking at screens more than we do each other, it seems we have confused an organ of change for the origin of change: ourselves.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Internet Activism: Low Risk, Low Reward?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In an article in the New Yorker<\/a>, author Malcolm Gladwell cites a not-too distant example of successful social activism embedded within American history that did not involve \u201clikes,\u201d tweets or shares to accomplish its lofty goals: the 1960 sit-ins at Greensboro, North Carolina.<\/p>\n

\"Civil<\/p>\n

Much like online protests today in America, they weren\u2019t the first of their kind, however they were quite influential. But unlike today\u2019s characteristically benign acts of online protest occasionally barbed with cynicism and snark, a slip on behalf of protestors in North Carolina wouldn\u2019t result in a \u201cdefriending\u201d or a vitriolic reblog, it could result in a failure of the entire protest and the endangerment of their person. <\/p>\n

That, Gladwell explains, is a key difference between the 21st century cyber activism and the \u201cIRL\u201d activism of the 20th century: the latter was inherently high risk, involved a hierarchy of power and command, and had participants with strong personal connections to the cause that were naturally greatly committed to the issue at hand. <\/p>\n

Compare that to today: we follow people we don\u2019t know, maintain superficial ties with acquaintances with whom we would otherwise not speak, and it\u2019s all conducted on platforms that allot everyone an equal opportunity to make an ass out of him or herself.<\/p>\n

In Gladwell\u2019s eyes, social media at its best is low-risk activism best suited for sophomoric spooking and trolling. In essence, what Internet activism gains in participation it lacks in impact. It\u2019s easy to press a \u201clike\u201d button; it\u2019s a bit harder to live it. To critics of social media, small, superficial and virtual acts of defiance should reap equally small rewards. Right?<\/p>\n

SOPA, PIPA and Komen<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not necessarily. If anything is indicative of the powers of mass agitation and minimal effort, it is resident conservative stalwart Paul Ryan\u2019s shocking reversal of his former pro-stance toward SOPA \u2014 one that many speculate was the result of a campaign on behalf of Reddit<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On January 18, there were 80 supporters and 31 opponents to SOPA and PIPA. Less than two weeks later, the supporters dropped to 55 and those \u201cleaning no\u201d skyrocketed to 205. While the cause\u2014freedom to share content on the Internet\u2014is definitely of \u201cfirst world\u201d concern, the change is without a doubt a formidable one.<\/p>\n

\"Change<\/p>\n

And then there was the Susan G. Komen Foundation uproar. Clicking en masse to Pinterest, Twitter and whatever outlet would host their cyber roar, Internet activists sought to punish Komen for its defunding decision and even utilized the Super Bowl as a way to disseminate their message. <\/p>\n

\"Anti-Koken<\/p>\n

And even though the hash tag \u201cTakeBackThePink\u201d doesn\u2019t really mean anything in and of itself, it was only 72 hours before the organization retreated from their decision and apologized for its conduct. Citizens had spoken\u2014albeit online\u2014and they were heard. Plain and simple.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Lessons Learned<\/strong><\/p>\n

While it might initially appear that a couple days of Facebook awareness-raising or hash tag trending led to a reversal in course for both the Komen decision and the SOPA\/PIPA legislation, the truth is that it was in the making for quite some time and involved the participation of individuals in and out of the internet. <\/p>\n

Regarding SOPA and PIPA, Reddit and 4chan users began paving the way months ago to \u201cstop the death of the Internet,\u201d while members of the hacker collective, Anonymous, began operations against pro-SOPA Congressmen and women. And for Komen to retract its decision, support was needed from the online community, members of Congress, as well as from defecting members of Komen. In other words, social media was not the sole instrument to incite change, it was merely instrumental.<\/p>\n

Internet Activism: Humanity At Its Best And Worst<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Internet<\/p>\n

The best and worst thing about Internet activism is that you don\u2019t have to leave your home to participate: posting links has replaced holding poster boards, and \u201csit-ins\u201d are increasingly being associated with occupying office chairs. With every golden opportunity for the most efficient exchange of information there is another equally enticing chance to engage in prime social loafing. <\/p>\n

Case in point: according to Gladwell’s piece, while there are over one million online members of the largest \u201cSave Darfur\u201d coalition, the average member donation is a paltry seven cents. Combine that with general ignorance toward the region and its conflict and it shouldn\u2019t be too shocking why the only real change that\u2019s been brought there is via the spare coins that jingle in the pockets of people’s Levi’s.<\/p>\n

Thus the question still begs to be asked: in general, is the Internet really a useful tool in meaningful activism? Or is it just another self-congratulatory outlet where we may display our awareness of current events of which we have little understanding and in which we have limited interest? Furthermore, are we active because we truly care, because it\u2019s easy, or simply because it\u2019s easy and we want to look like we care?<\/p>\n

If anything, the online reaction that aided in reversing SOPA, PIPA, and the Komen decisions have proven that the Internet can be a useful tool, much like paper was for the dissenting views of our founding fathers and the television was for those against the Vietnam War. However, it should not be seen as anything new or revolutionary. Rather, it should serve as a reminder of what people can accomplish when they work together\u2014even if for low-risk causes.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, the future of SOPA and PIPA legislation may remain uncertain, and more partisan members of the Komen Foundation may still linger at future board meetings. But for now, at least we\u2019ve saved the LOLcats.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recently, an image has circulated around the web and in the process has gained quite a bit of popularity. What is it? Nothing more than Homer Simpson\u2019s favorite food, the donut, explaining the bevy of social media outlets in which we waste an inordinate amount of time every day. Initially, the donut seems to be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":549,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[259],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Internet: An Instrument, Not An Instigator, Of Change<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How social media and the internet have changed the face of global activism.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prosebeforehos.com\/cultural-correspondent\/02\/14\/internet-instrument-change\/\" \/>\n<link rel=\"next\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prosebeforehos.com\/cultural-correspondent\/02\/14\/internet-instrument-change\/2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Internet: An Instrument, 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