Slides for Guest Lecture Skype with COMM 4370 New Media Technologies and Communicationat Schreiner University, February 28, 2013. Focuses on the role of the Internet and social media in democracy, protest, activism, and social change.

1. Control and Protest:
Revolution & social
change, blogs/vlogs,
and civic engagement.

2. About
Dr. Kushin
Department of Communication
Shepherd University, WV
Research:
Social Media, Politics, Civic Engagement
Teach:
Social media, strategic communication, theory, research
@mjkushin | MattKushin.com | G+: Matt Kushin

3. The Internet & Democracy

4. Internet & Democracy
Competing perspectives of the role of internet in
democracy
Democratization – positive perspective
Fragmentation – negative perspective
Creative commons photo credit: Steve Rhode

5. For Citizens
Democratization
Good for democracy
Brings more people into political process by
Increasing information access
Empowering citizens to voice their concerns
Increasing ability to participate with others
Image creative commons by: david_shankbone

6. For Citizens
Fragmentation
Bad for democracy
Internet media stifles participation
It does not connect dispersed populations
It cannot unify large populations around a common
cause
This leaves the individual to feel alienated from the
democratic process
Photo: creative commons credit Brian Auer

7. Discussion
In last election, did you?
Expose yourself to:
Diverse perspectives about candidates, issues, or:
Mostly / only news & views that supported your
opinions?
Unfollow or unfriend someone who you disagree
with?
Hide them from your news feed?

8. Two Categories of Change
Democratic Participation:
politics, government, political campaigns
Activism: Protest, Direct
Democracy, Rebellion/uprising

9. Democratic Participation
 Seeking participation in the democratic election of a
candidate or the influence of government
laws, regulations, to bring forth desired change.
Believe change comes from working within
institutional laws and norms to create change.

10. Activism: Protest, Direct
Democracy, & Social
Movements
Employs an “activist ethic” – that the institution(s)
is broken and change must come from the
outside.
Seeks to bring change to, or overturn perceived
oppressive institutions
May involve activity seen as “civic disobedience,”
which may be illegal
Protest
Revolution

11. Social Media &
Social Movements

12. Social Movements
Broad social alliances of people connected via a
shared interest in enacting or blocking social
change.
May be loosely organized
May be many alliances all working toward
common cause
Veganism & Peta on next slide = 1 example

13. Social Movements
Social Movement
Veganism
Deliberative Democracy (inside of laws)
Social Movement Organization (SMO)
Ex: PETA
Activist (outside of laws)
Group
Earth Liberation Front

14. Types of movements
2 Aspects
Focus:
Individual – Get individuals to use a designated
driver
Society – Change Drinking Age
Change
Limited change – tougher gun laws
Radical change – outlawing gun ownership

15. Movements &
Counter Movements
Women’s Rights movement advocates: Abortion
Rights
Counter movement:
Pro-Life Movement – A socially conservative
counter movement

16. Politics as Power Struggle
How can new communication technology be
used to challenge those in power?

17. Empowering Social
Movements
Communication is central to power.
Abilities to control dissemination of info key to all
power struggles
Technology has enabled social movements via:
Rapid & inexpensive means of organization
Cheap dissemination of propaganda

18. Comm & Movements
Example:
American Revolution relied on:
Printing Press
Federalist Papers - PR campaign of letters to
newspapers
Common Sense – Thomas Paine

19. 1999 Battle in Seattle
Demonstrated organizing capability of Web:
Protesters used Internet message boards and
email to organize massive protest on the World
Trade Organization convention in Seattle, 1999

20. The Question Is..
What role does social media play in social
movements?

21. Competing Perspectives
One side
Social media plays an important role in spurring
social movements

22. Competing Perspectives
Other perspective
The role of social media is overhyped –
Social change occurs without social media

23. Example: Protest /
Revolutions
Authority controls power by controlling
communication
Ex: State run media

24. Egypt & Social Media
Video 1: Wael Ghonim of Google
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqHPRHOHcN
8&feature=relmfu

25. If social media empowers individuals to
communicate
Spread information
Organize
Lower barriers to political participation
It can undermine authority

26. International Examples:
uprisings
Iranian Uprising 2009
Egypt Revolution of 2011

27. Domestic examples:
Protest
Occupy Wall Street Movement

28. Mobile

29. Smart Mobs
2002 Book by
Howard Rheingold

30. What the Smart Mob?
Use of interactive internet and
mobile technologies to coordinate
collective action
Enables constant communication
& coordination of dispersed
persons

31. Media production & distribution
in the palm of your hand
Dramatically increased access to information.
Undermined authoritarian control over communication.
Empowered citizens.
Gave people a voice – many for the first time.

32. s
Photos credit creative commons: bottom left: iCrossing | rest: Interact Egypt - Play Innovation

33. Discussion
What do you think?
Is social media a catalyst for change?
overhyped?
Would change occur without it?

34. Activism, or…?

35. Brief Activity
Series of “Yes/No” Questions on on next 2 sets of
slides.
On scrap paper, answer questions #1
On other side of paper, answer questions #2
We’ll discuss.

36. Questions #1
I have:
Signed an online petition
Liked a Facebook page for a cause
Example: Stop Offshore Drilling, Protect Gun
Rights, etc.
Retweeted or otherwise relayed information about
a cause you care about via social media
Wrote a blog post / created art or video

37. Questions #2
Yes/No:
I have:
Volunteered for a cause.
Donated money to a cause.
Protested or gone to a rally.
Otherwise worked on behalf of a political
candidate, party, or for a cause.

38. Slacker!
Slacktivism – Create a sense of accomplishment
for individual
But have little impact on political decisions
May distract citizens from other, more
effective, forms of engagement.

39. Online v. Offline
Participation
Some say:
That online participation (liking a Facebook page)
does not increase offline participation (actually
voting)
Others argue:
Online participation increases awareness and
raises interest, motivating offline participation

40. Example
Colby “likes” an anti-offshore drilling page on
Facebook
As a result, she feels she has supported the
cause
She doesn’t bother to get involved at a deeper
level
Ex:
Educating others
Raising money
Volunteering

41. Discussion
Are online activists “unwilling to get their hands
dirty and do the efforts required to actually
achieve these goals”?
Does online activism replace or increase offline
activism?

42. Thanks!
@mjkushin | MattKushin.com | G+: Matt Kushin