== Personal Profile ==
My name is Donna Hancox, I'm a final year Media and Communication student who is almost completely computer illiterate and very interested in the area of online activism - yes these two things can co-exist. I am hoping to do Honours next year in the Creative Writing and Cultural Studies Faculty.
Email - dm.hancox@student.qut.edu.au
=== ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY ===
Topic - Online activism particularly the Anti-globalisation Movement and their use of new media technolgiesDonna hancox 13:46, 14 Aug 2004 (EST)
www.adbusters.org Adbusters is an online organisation that also produces a magazine. It is based on the concept of culture jamming - changing well known advertising campaigns to produce a similar but subversive version of the advertisment. Adbusters, along with indymedia, is one of the better known online activist sites that has become extremely well organised and sophisticated in its approach and design. The adbusters website contains links to other campaigns that it is running such as 'buy nothing day', the sale of 'black spot sneakers' and online art activism. This site is an important example of online activism that is well established and imaginative, and is an example of the range of campaigns that are available to be involved in. Another important aspect of this site - as with most activist sites - is the connected nature of its campaigns. This site contains links to other activist sites as well as information on how to become active in your local area. This sums up the goals of online activisim - connect people globally and mobilise them locally.
Azambuja, Carlos (2004). 'The New Face of Anti-globalisation movements'. www.cubdest.org accessed 6/8/04 The anti-globalisation movement is constantly evolving and incorporating the concerns and voices of groups from all over the world who feel marginalised in the face of world wide economic globalisation. This article - and the website in general - looks at the ways in which these groups use networks to simultaneously remain autonomous and co-ordinate internationally en masse. The history of the internet as a tool for activism is explored, looking to the Zapatista movement of Chiapas in Mexico and their use fo the internet to raise awareness about thier plight as well as to raise funds and support. The Zapatistas have been considered a template for activist groups wishing to maximise the effect of the internet for thier own goals. This article is useful because it also discusses the limitations of the internet for activsit groups. Donna hancox 10:59, 16 Aug 2004 (EST)
Gibson, Rachel; Rommele, Andrea & Ward, Stephen (2004). 'Electronic Democracy - Mobilisation, Organisation and Participation via new ICTs'. London:Routledge. ISBN 0415324823 'Electronic Democracy' concerns itself with examining the ways in which a number of government and non-government organisations are using information and communication technologies. Although in many ways a scholarly or academic book, it also includes case studies from all over the world, and is interesting because it also examines the use of the internet in Europe and Britain as well as the United States and Australia. Much of the book centres around governments - their use of the internet and also how the internet has ruptured their traditional roles. The last four chapters are the most relevant for this topic, in particular the chpater 'Re-thinking Political Participation' which examines in detail the combined campaign at Woomera detention centre in 2002 by a number of different activist groups - including The Refugee Action Collective and indymedia - coming together to broadcast information from the desert surrounding the detention centre. This chapter questions the internets ability to alter the process of political leverage and puts into the context the ways certain groups operate. This investigation illuminates the strengths and weaknesses of the internet as a political tool.
www.indymedia.org Indymedia is one of the seminal online activist orgainisations. It is a network of collectively run media outlets for alternative media reports. It was established in 1999 for the purpose of providing accurate coverage of the protests against the World Trade Orgainsation in Seattle. There are indymedia sites based in almost every country in the world, each site posts local informatin as well as links to their international sites. Indymedia is an example of online activism and particularly the local/global aspect of online activism whereby organisations form all over the world are able to find a platform for their individual agendas as well as connect with other likeminded groups in the belief tht all their concerns are part of a larger concern, namely market driven globalisation. As indymedia shows, the internet provides a space for the public to have access to independnet media reports.Donna hancox 11:23, 16 Aug 2004 (EST)
Kingsnorth, Paul (2003). 'One No, Many Yeses - journey into the heart of the global resistance movement'. London:The Free Press. ISBN 0743220269 This book provides and excellant and easy to read introduction into the world of the anti-globalisation movement world wide. Kingsnorth introduces the reader to a number of major organisations throughout the world that are using the internet and other media to spread their message. He has travelled extensively and writes from where the groups are situated. This book has a sense of a series of dispatches from the frontline. The book is divided into two parts; One No - which explores groups that are resisting specific aspects of globalisation and Many Yeses - Which looks at the pro-active campaigns being conducted that promote a more tolerant, positive future. Each chapter is based on a particular case study, the Zapatistas in Mexico or the World Social Forum for example and then details the way that these groups mobilise themselves and connect with other groups. This book is a useful starting point for any research into the anti-globalisation movement and their use of technology to promote their causes. There is an appendix that lists contact details and related websites for the groups mentioned in each chapter and an explanation of the groups.
Meikle, Graham (2002). 'Future Active'. Annandale:Pluto Press. ISBN 1864031484 'Future Active' provides a comprehensive overview of the phenomonen of media activism. Meikle interviews activists to understand not only understand their means of protest but also the causes that they promote. He includes activist groups from across the spectrum of media activism and details the way the internet is used as a site of resistance. 'Future Active' examines the entire range of internet based campaigns by breaking them into the categories of interactivity, alternative media and tactical media. This book is particularly useful in that it evaluates the hype surrounding online activism and then interrogates how effective the internet is as tool for political and social protest. In the final chapter - 'Where do you want to go tommorrow?' - Meikle discusses alternative visions for the future of the internet and it's role in media activism and offers some advice on how to be an active consumer of media. Rather than being a theoretical exploration of the internet - as many of the other resources are - 'Future Active' stands as an encouragement to get involved and become active.
NETIME - 1 - REQUEST@bbs.thing.net This article discusses the implications of new media, particularly text messaging, on protest movements. The internet and more recently mobile phones are becoming increasingly integral tools in the organisation of protests. In this article a text messaging service called 'TXTmob' was designed specifically for the protestors at the Americal Democratic National Convention. Subscribers were able to recieve updates on police activity during the protest and mobilise appropriately. The organisers were reluctant to announce the use of 'TXTmob' prior to the protest which is an indication of the scope of this service. As protest movements become more media and technologically literate the more they are able to stay one step ahead of police and governments trying to suppress or control them. There are many articles exploring the importance of the internet for social movements - particularly the anti-globalisation movement - and this article is an interesting preview of what is possible with new media technologies other than the internet. Donna hancox 11:46, 16 Aug 2004 (EST)
www.rac.org The Refugee Action Collective is an Australian based protest movement that although spefically concerns itself with the issue of refugee rights, is also connected globally to other social movements. They state that their purpose is to 'uphold the right of asylum in Australia and to inform and mobilise people to challenge current government policy and legislation which adds to the suffering of regugees and asylum seekers'. Like man contemporary protest movements The Refugee Action Collective website if their major point of contact and information. Their website contains links to other protest groups, as well as information about ongoing compaigns and can be used as an example of on-line activism. This website illuminates the interconnected and networked nature of online activism.
Rifkin, Jeremy (2000). 'The Age of Access - how the shift from ownership to access is transforming modern life'. London:Penguin Books. ISBN 014029547X. Rifkin provides a detailed account of the modern shift towards a networked society, the history and reasons why this is happening and also the implications of this shift. The second part of the book - 'Enclosing the Cultural Commons' - is very pertinant to the issue of online activism. In the chapter 'Mining the Cultural Landscape' he exposes the phenonomen of modern capitalism to appropriate the very nuances of everyday life and then repackaging them and selling them back to consumers. It is exactly this type of rampant consumerism that the anti-globalisation movement is fighting against. In the chpater 'The Connected and the Disconnected' he explains the growing gap between those with access to technology and those who live 'outside the electronic gates' (Rifkin, 2000:229). This growing disparity is the cornerstone of the anti-globalisation movement. Rifkin cuts through the excitment surrounding the communications revolution by pointing out the 65% of the worlds population have never made a phone call (Rifkin, 2000:234). This book is an excellant resource for exploring the implications of new media technologies, it provides a balanced and thoughtful dissection of the 'networked society' that is constantly being celebrated.
Smith, Marc A (2004). 'Some Social Implications of ubiquitous wireless networks'. The internet and mobile phones provide users with the ability to exchange information and as such connect with like-minded groups of people for little to no cost. The networked nature of global social movements means that people from all over the world are able to communicate their concerns and ideas with each other in a way that continues to alter the way in which protest is conducted. However the capacity for these technologies to connect people who live close to each other also holds enormous implications. This aricle explores how new technologies bring together people in local areas and the consequences of this. Smith discusses the new level of social power that is possible and what he calls the 'emergence of new forms of self-organising mutual aid organisations'. Interestingly Smith also incorporates some cultural studies theories into his discussion of wireless networks. He includes Foucaults theory of panoptic power and how these networks could construct a new form of panoptic power by making available to many different groups detailed information about individuals and their habits. This article is especially useful because it raises questions about the social consequences of technologies, not just the positive but also the negative consequences. Donna hancox 12:22, 16 Aug 2004 (EST)
