Helena Marie Fahnrich

Parameters of digital activism are defined in the first online reading as such: The reasons that spur people to action (the author mentions oppression) + digital activism = inspiring people towards social/political movement. The revolutionary quality of digital activism lies in the basic functionality of the internet, which is individual agency; anyone online can access what is available online and the internet allows people to produce whatever they want online. The potential for freedom is unencumbered.   Digital activism offers a route of practical enactment when fostering decentralized movements. The internet facilitates anonymity. The internet is a method of disseminating activist agenda. It functions as a method of action (She uses the example of Cablegate). Because the internet is a major aspect of our culture, organizations maintaining complex structures online are inherently susceptible. Lastly, the digital realm is a placeholder for monetary...

The chapter begins with instances of the Arab Spring.   Lybia's national army was not supported by the nation, but instead by the "dictator and his clique" (in regards to Gaddafi). Furthermore, Gaddafi played the social population against one another and his actions were a political outgrowth of concentrated wealth in the region surrounding Gaddafi and a lack of wealth in, specifically, eastern parts of the country. Castells gives a short explanation of how social media  impacted efforts of " tribal rebellion,"  which in turn escalated to civil war. The discussion soon moves to g eopolitical strategy. An intervention via France/UK/Italy, US and NATO  prevented Gaddafi and his sons from engaging in a planned door-to-door murder of rebels. Also, t he geopolitical move involved a strategy to obtain Lybian oil by France/UK/Italy in which Russia/China were "caught off guard and out maneuver by NATO" (p.99).  Reflecting on these events, Castells points out...

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...

I am gaining a greater familiarity with written forms of analyzation, my own as well as peers and authors introduced in class. The readings have been helpful in directing the analytical process of digital activism because it provides time and a method of writing. The combination of both technique and the material of rhetorical activism ( The Multimedia of Texts and the chapters from Jason delGandio's book for example) has created a sense of focus.  Regarding online activist websites, through the application of observational techniques to websites, I am beginning to see things I have not considered before. As I devote more consideration to aspects of web design, I am seeing a thread of coherence normally not considered when looking at a webpage. Research: The link posted to the World Socialist Web Site on the class blog is something I am increasingly interested in researching. Politics has always been a strong motivation for me regarding activism (for example I wa...