Internet activism

Importance of the Internet for social movements

Donk et al. assume that particular actors of new social movements use the Internet, since this corresponds to their ideologies and organizational needs. Also, protestors were able to network more quickly and efficiently via the Internet for internal and external mobilization at local, national and international level. While on the one hand the importance of the Internet to individual case studies - particularly the digital international networking of the Zapatistas and the associated creation of the Peoples Global Action Network - is highlighted, on the other hand, assumed that complex contexts of Online-/Offline-Vernetzung of protest. Pure forms of cyber activism such as the online demonstration against Lufthansa constitute exceptions rather according to the movement of researchers Dieter Rucht.

Types of cyber activism

Vegh distinguishes the following forms of cyber activism:

• Advocacy: providing and disseminating information, providing forums for open discussions and actions of the so-called e - lobbying.
• Organization / mobilization: Views to Online-/Offline-Aktionen (eg, contacting policy makers via online petitions ).
• Action / reaction: online attacks by hackers, cyber campaigns, cyber - wars.

Criticism

Low of involvement are considered questionable in terms of the contribution of cyber- activism to a ( transnational ) democratization of society by ' one-click - protest ', Cyberbalkanisierung of publics, anonymity and, not least, reflecting the digital divide problem.