Agenda for Today
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Transcript of Agenda for Today
The Internet and Politics
Agenda for Today
New Social Movements: defined
Examples
Impact of the Internet
Questions about NSMs
Core concepts & the Internet’s effects
The Internet and Politics
New social movements
unconventional political behaviour
“Movements…are better defined as collective challenges by people with common purposes and solidarity in sustained interaction with opponents and authorities.” – Tarrow
The Internet and Politics
Examples:
environmentalism
gay & lesbian rights
feminism
civil rights movement
peace movement
Solidarity (Poland)
anti-globalization movement
The Internet and Politics
Impact of the Internet
NSMs well-positioned to take advantage of Net because of:
outsider status
high information costs
high coordination costs
global diffusion
every aspect of NSMs potentially affected
The Internet and Politics
Questions about social movements:
How do social movements emerge?
Why do individuals participate in movements?
How do movements choose their tactics?
What determines the size of the movement?
What affects the success of the movement?
Why do movements collapse or end?
The Internet and Politics
Core concepts
Political Opportunity Structures
Frames
Cycles of Protest
Resource Mobilization
Repertoires of Protest
The Internet and Politics
Political Opportunity Structures
Protest/resistance more or less difficult at different times.
3 dimensions: degree of openness/closure of formal
political access degree of stability or instability of political
alignments availability of potential allies/partners
Internet dramatically changes the P.O.S. especially in repressive regimes e.g. Indonesia, Philippines
The Internet and Politics
Frames
how people understand the meaning of the movement
includes goals, values, identities
part of what recruits people to the movement
hotly contested
Internet disperses control over movement framing
e.g. environmentalist discussion
The Internet and Politics
Cycles of Protest NSMs have a typical life course:
start with clashes between early challengers and authorities
other social actors align with one or the other side
process accelerates: additional organizations/movements form methods of protest are diffused
protest widens and becomes more socially encompassing
Internet accelerates the cycles of protest e.g. MAI
The Internet and Politics
Resource Mobilization
success depends ability to mobilize resources via:
professional organizers political entrepreneurs financing/funding
Net makes resource moblization both less and more crucial
fewer barriers to entry e.g. Changing the Climate
greater returns to resource investments
The Internet and Politics
Repertoires
forms of protest have to be invented
e.g. sit-ins, marches, culture jamming
different repertoires associated with different movements
Internet has expanded the repertoire with:
e-mail petitions
online sit-ins and marches
hacktivism
e.g. Black Thursday
The Internet and Politics
Discussion