Tag Archives: social media

Good Trouble and school openings

John Lewis always encouraged young activists. He routinely recounted his parents warning him to stay out of trouble when he left home for college and a leading role in the civil rights movement. Explaining the protests, the beatings he endured, … Continue reading

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Tactical innovation, COVID, K-Pop, and cars.

I learned of the Tik-Tok K-Pop Trump ticket troll from my teen daughter, when the large crowds the Trump campaign didn’t quite turn up in Tulsa. She told me that many of her friends, high school students in Southern California, … Continue reading

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Solidarity and social distance, COVID-19 2/x

If you can’t meet in person, how can you protest effectively, or build the communities that can support effective action in the future? Online connections and social media provide an exceptional set of resources for organizers to spread information about … Continue reading

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Social distance and social movements, COVID-19, #1/x

How does good medical advice affect meaningful collective action? Before the recognition of the highly contagious novel coronavirus, we were living in a time of intense political mobilization–all over the world. But now, advisories to maintain social distance undermine the … Continue reading

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Will the revolution be tweeted?

More than forty years ago, the talented and tragic poet/musician/activist Gil Scott-Heron rapped–before there was rap–that the Revolution would not be televised.  Television was controlled by big corporations and commercial interests, and social change would come from the streets.  But … Continue reading

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Ice bucket challenged

A creative campaign to raise attention and money for ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) has circulated across the web and through virtually every social media channel.  You’ve seen a friend or a celebrity post a video of themselves dumping ice water … Continue reading

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Days of Rage: Is Ferguson spreading out or dissipating?

Inspired by the ongoing events in Ferguson, Anonymous has called for Days of Rage protests across the nation:   At least one part of the story here is the reasonably sophisticated use of social media, including Youtube above.  The description … Continue reading

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Marriage equality and the digital political button

If you visited a Facebook site last week you probably saw some version of the badge at right, representing support for marriage equality side of the cases the Supreme Court considered.  Activists encouraged people to change their profile picture to … Continue reading

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A protest is a threat (the Komen debacle)

It’s never just the demonstration that brings about change.  Rather, it’s the larger actions that demonstrators promise (and authorities fear) that lead to concessions.  Demonstrators threaten to storm the barricades, stop paying taxes, or vote, or contribute money.  Their targets … Continue reading

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What happens on Facebook stays on Facebook

I wish that line was mine, but it’s not.  Caroline Lee, skeptical about the potential impact of of social media on democracy in general and social movements specifically, offered the summary evaluation–along with some observations. The question is whether all … Continue reading

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