Activism can--and does--take many forms. In his book, Networks of Outrage and Hope, Manuel Castells provides an exploration of social movements and activism in our increasingly connected world. In his book, he analyzes social movements from all over the world including the Arab Spring uprisings, the Occupy Wall Street movement in the US, and the indignadas movement in Spain. He argues that while social movements vary in many ways, in today's world they share a reliance on autonomous communication networks supported by the internet.
Activism on gun control issues is slightly different than the examples used in Castells' book as it is a movement and not so much a revolution. No one is calling for a complete take down of the elites or the government over the gun debate; those in power will remain in power until they are democratically stripped of it. Rather, both sides are pushing for cultural change and using legislation as a partial means of achieving that change. While none of the groups listed above are calling for revolution, they are still reliant on the use of social media and media in general to spread their messages. By clicking on the social media icon below the name, you can see the pages of the respective activism groups.
In revolutionary times, Castells sees a divide between public social networking and the private media. He argues that social media is so powerful because in any society, he who has a monopoly on communications can control the stories being told to the public. The internet strips any one entity of that monopoly and allows all ideas to be shared. In this movement, activism takes the form of social media, protests, support of legislation, television ads, and legal battles. Unlike the divide between private and public media Castells cites in revolutions, it brings together in many ways both entities. Yes, Facebook and Twitter are important. But so is the news, so are celebrities, politicians, academics, and police officers. Everyone has a reason to be engaged in this movement, and everyone--whether by voting, speaking out, following a Twitter account, or buying a gun--will find themselves to be activists.
Activism on gun control issues is slightly different than the examples used in Castells' book as it is a movement and not so much a revolution. No one is calling for a complete take down of the elites or the government over the gun debate; those in power will remain in power until they are democratically stripped of it. Rather, both sides are pushing for cultural change and using legislation as a partial means of achieving that change. While none of the groups listed above are calling for revolution, they are still reliant on the use of social media and media in general to spread their messages. By clicking on the social media icon below the name, you can see the pages of the respective activism groups.
In revolutionary times, Castells sees a divide between public social networking and the private media. He argues that social media is so powerful because in any society, he who has a monopoly on communications can control the stories being told to the public. The internet strips any one entity of that monopoly and allows all ideas to be shared. In this movement, activism takes the form of social media, protests, support of legislation, television ads, and legal battles. Unlike the divide between private and public media Castells cites in revolutions, it brings together in many ways both entities. Yes, Facebook and Twitter are important. But so is the news, so are celebrities, politicians, academics, and police officers. Everyone has a reason to be engaged in this movement, and everyone--whether by voting, speaking out, following a Twitter account, or buying a gun--will find themselves to be activists.