Development and Social change

through New media activism 

Emma Åström and Anna Konjoryan

Comdev - New Media, ICT and Development (KK622B)

• Media activism

• Activism, the heart of social changes/movements

• The role of ICT as an engine of the 21st century

What is Activism?

•“ability to act and make or change history”

•“intentional action to bring about social or political change” (Cammaerts, B. & Carpentier, N. (eds) 2007:217)

in order to boost social movement

MediaCommunicati

on technologies

Media Activism

According to French Sociologist Allain Touraine’s analysis (Self Production of Society1977)

“social movements may develop spontaneously to achieve desired social changes rather than being responses to

situations.”

“there are more social movements today because people know that social activism can

be used to achieve change; rational objectives and strategies regarding how

injustices can be overcome; interaction in the shaping of social movements.”

The main forms of Media Activism

Video in the busiest sites

Picture in the busiest sites

Electronic advocacy

Hacktivism

Mass mailing

Spain 2004, Mrach 11-14, 1 SMS5000 people

The digitized world helps us

•find co-sponsors at a high speed

•change people’s mind

•raise their awareness

•call citizens to action

•raise social participation

Constraints of ICT

•Not commonplace everywhere

•Not accessible for everyone

•No internet access even if there is a computer

•One family, one computer

•Countries with a huge ICT potential nor acclaiming the “interference” of it on the political life

ICTICT

Present Present Future Future

• public health• disaster relief• education• media • civil society• agriculture• industry• services, trade,• banking/finance

• law enforcement• commerce• Government• services • politics• cultural life• workforce • Diaspora

populations

Thank you for Attention