Helena Marie Fahnrich

As an overview I can see how Ekman observes extreme right wing activists seeking to transform perceptions of the  p ast and present, and provide a vision for the future by using youtube as a communication medium. The Ekman article frames this campaign by organizing his observations of the methodology of extreme right wing activists. For example in relation to transforming the way these people perceive their past by providing a new picture of the present, which implies a new future for them, Ekman states, "Seemingly moving away from underground activities,  the dominating modus operandi of the 1980s-1990s (e.g., Lööw, 2000), public visibility and  everydayness come to the fore as key strategies in the video clips" (p.95).

Example question one: Should all activist organizations be online? This question is fairly straightforward and less complex. It is a "yes" or "no" question that the reader could elaborate on based on their opinion and examples familiar to them. The structure of a paper could possibly begin with a premise stating why the reader feels such a way about online activism and then follow with evidence that support those opinions. The type of research the question required is not very in-depth because it is an opinion based question. This type of question would help a student "new to non-narrative forms of writing" identify a viewpoint. It would provide a writing exercise that asks them to find examples to support the viewpoint if, for example, it were to be a one or two page double-spaced paper. This type of question is also good because it asks the student to move in the direction of research because they are practicing fundamental research principles. A good...

When considering documents for analysis (chomsky's writings on Anarcho-syndicalism) and a rhetorical analysis of a campaign, like the World Socialist Website, how do certain virtual documents from Wikileaks fit in? They do not deal with modes of production, but whistleblowing. To take this further, these whistleblowing documents deserve to be considered when thinking about overcoming current forms of government because they are from a virtual place that current forms of government cannot rule over. It is a transfer of power. On the other hand what are the necessities of persuasion embedded in these parts? In what ways are these parts limited in their influence and how do they attempt to transform opinion, given their revolutionary nature? 1. When considering wikileaks as an example of effective activism, and the operations reliance on a kind of classified status, what are the implications of privilege regarding activism? How does this relate to government? 2. What is bitcoin...

Papachrissi's explains the public sphere in the words of Jurgen Habermas as a forum separate from the public as it relates to opinion and assembly. She quotes on page 5, "Because, according to Habermas, the public sphere has been compromised to the point where its actual existence is in doubt, it is best understood as a metaphor for “a sphere which mediates between society and state in which the public organizes itself as the bearer of public opinion, accords with the principle of the public sphere – that principle of public information which once had to be fought for against the arcane politics of monarchies and which since that time has made possible the democratic control of state activities” (Habermas, 1973, p. 351)." Given this definition I see the public sphere as any communicative forum accessible to the general public (as audience as as speakers) that may include discourse surrounding local and national politics as well as social constructs such as businesses, sc...