Cyberactivism: Online Activism in Theory and Practice

Cyberactivism is a timely collection of essays examining the growing importance of online activism. The contributors show how online activists have not only incorporated recent technology as a tool for change, but also how they have changed the meaning of activism, what community means, and how they conceive of collective identity and democratic change. Topics addressed range from the Zapatista movement's use of the web to promote their cause globally to the establishment of alternative media sources like indymedia.org to the direct action of "hacktivists" who disrupt commercial computer networks. Cyberactivism is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the impact of the Internet on politics today.

Table of Contents:
Table of Contents Introduction Cyber-Social Movements Emerging Online 1. Internet Protests, from Text to Web 2. Indymedia.org: A New Communication Commons 3. Classifying Forms of Online Activism: the Case of Cyberprotests Against the World Bank 4. The Radicalization of Zek Speir: How the Internet Contributes to Civic Engagement and New Forms of Social Capital Theorizing Online Activism 5. Democracy, New Social Movements, and the Internet: A Habermasian Analysis 6. Comparing Collective Identity in Onlien and Offline Feminist Acivists 7. Mapping Networks of Support for Zapatista Movement: Applying Social Networks Analysis to Study Cotemporary Social Movements 8. Identifying with Information: Citizen Empowerment, the Internet, and the Environmental Anti-Toxins Movement 9. Wiring human-Rights Activism: Amnesty International and the Challenges of Information and Communication Technologies 10. Ethic Online Communities: Between Profit and Purpose 11. Gay Media, Inc.: Media Structures, The New Gay conglomerates, and Collective Sexual Identities Epilogue Current Directions and Future Questions Subject: Philosophy; General Interest; History; Cultural Studies

About the Author :
Martha McCaughey is Associate Professor and Director of Women's Studies in the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies at Virginia Tech. Mike Ayers is a doctorial student in Sociology at the New School for Social Research.

Review :
"Here's a book with a plethora of information. I was surprised at a thing or two in this book that I wasn't aware of. I was also intrigued by some of the thought-provoking questions raised about the perceived separation between the 'real' world and the 'fake' cyber-world. Very intriguing indeed, especially for academics and theorists. I found Cyberactivism to be fascinating with many resources for those who may be thinking about or already using the net to increase their audience." -- Altar Magazine "This is one of the first books to back up theoretical assertions regarding online democracy with vivid and fascinating examples from the anti-globalization movement, ethnic and sexual identity websites, and hactivist and tactical media histories. Cyberactivism features great storytelling and it is refreshingly grounded, pragmatic, and accessible. As the Internet becomes co-opted by media industry giants, it is increasingly vital that pockets of resistance to media hegemony be identified and studied. This book is a fine primer for those interested in studying how activism has happened on the Internet, and how it might happen in the future." -- Lisa Nakamura, University of Wisconsin, Madison "It's about time we saw a concentrated examination of online activism in book form...Cyberactivism is a vital contribution to Internet Studies as well as a welcome antidote to the commercialization of the internet. By critically examining the political forces that shape the internet, this book brings to the foreground those elements of technology that constrain as well as enable individual and group action." -- Annette N. Markham, University of Illinois at Chicago "The contributors do not deal solely with the empowering aspects of the internet; the struggles they describe are poignant reminders of the politically volatile and overtly commercialized social structures we live in. Yet one completes the book feeling hopeful, realizing the extent to which the internet can engender the potential to resist hegemony in everyday life as well as across the globe. We know better than to believe that the internet is inherently democratic, but this book reminds us that the potential for collective action is strong." -- Annette N. Markham, University of Illinois at Chicago "There is nothing quite like this book. This wonderful collection of case studies calls attention to the use of the internet as a new stage in the history of social movements around the globe. Cyberactivism is must reading for activists and social movement scholars." -- Verta Taylor Professor of Sociology, University of California Santa Barbara "This is one of the first books to back up theoretical assertions regarding online democracy with vivid and fascinating examples from the anti-globalization movement, ethnic and sexual identity websites, and hactivist and tactical media histories. Cyberactivism features great storytelling and it is refreshingly grounded, pragmatic, and accessible. As the Internet becomes co-opted by media industry giants, it is increasingly vital that pockets of resistance to media hegemony be identified and studied. This book is a fine primer for those interested in studying how activism has happened on the Internet, and how it might happen in the future." -- Lisa Nakamura, University of Wisconsin, Madison "This is one of the first books to back up theoretical assertions regarding online democracy with vivid and fascinating examples from the anti-globalization movement, ethnic and sexual identity websites, and hactivist and tactical media histories. Cyberactivism features great storytelling and it is refreshingly grounded, pragmatic, and accessible. As the Internet becomes co-opted by media industry giants, it is increasingly vital that pockets of resistance to media hegemony be identified and studied. This book is a fine primer for those interested in studying how activism has happened on the Internet, and how it might happen in the future." -- Lisa Nakamura, University of Wisconsin, Madison "This is an important book for students of cyberactivism and cyberculture, and indeed might well appeal to many of the cyberactivists themselves. As one of the fist volumes on the topic, it is an important contribution to what is now a growing movement and literature on cyberactivism. As Silver notes, the book provides a 'blueprint' for future politics and research." -- NewMedia & Society