ac·tiv·ism

ac·tiv·ism

noun: activism

1 the policy or action of using vigorous campaigning to bring about political or social change.

Activism is such a big word, it implies commitment, energy, motion.  Yet online activism gets downgraded into slacktivism, something Morozov (2009) refers to as ‘political activities that have no impact on real–life political outcomes, but only serve to increase the feel–good factor of the participants’. Christensen  (2011) too believes that online activism is less effective and leads to lower overall levels of participation. Yet, I’m not so sure I agree with them. Yes, people may not be going down to the town square to protest or throw their support behind a movement such as the search for equality but there is the power to share, to make aware, to connect. Raine et al. (2012) argue that people who use social media are more politically active and civically engaged.  Why should using your computer or smart phone be less valid than marching in the street? 

Creating a petition for this assignment was empowering and informative. I sign  petitions online but never really thought about creating one, yet it is such an effective way to get a dialogue going on an issue and make people aware. And interestingly Mitchel & Hitlin (2013) note that the dialogue online can be very different than the one playing out in mainstream media.

Which brings me to my petition for the assignment. 

Deciding on a topic was very difficult because lets face it there’s a lot of issues out there. Having worked in the political world for the last six years and then in the oil industry, for a Norwegian company, Statoil, I’ve had some insights into how the industry is run and how government and industry work with or against one another.  The province of Newfoundland and Labrador, once the poor cousin to the rest of Canada, has been leading the country in growth for several years now, mainly due in large part, to our oil industry.  But part of me believes that we are not managing the resources well and its time  for government, whether its Liberal, PC or NDP, to be more accountable and responsible to the people who live in this province today and to the ones who will be here when the oil runs out.

While working for the Norwegian company, I came to admire their management style and their countries long-term vision for their resource. If I can bring attention to the issue of mismanagement here and get a few people on side with me, then who knows what could happen? Maybe the government in Newfoundland and Labrador will pause and think about how the revenues and structure of oil management is working for this province and look to Norway for guidance and inspiration. And that is what Cadwalladr (2013) is talking about. With effort, we can change the world, have our voice heard and maybe make a difference. And if it is to start with a Facebook post or a Tweet, then what’s wrong with that?

References

Cadwalladr, C. (2013). “Inside Avaaz – Can Online Activism Really Change the World?” The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/nov/17/avaaz-online-activism-can-it-change-the-world

Christensen, H. (2011). “Political Activities on the Internet: Slacktivism or Political Participation by Other Means?” First Monday. Retrieved from http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/3336/2767,

Mitchell, A., & Hitlin, P. (2013). “Twitter Reaction to Events Often at Odds with Overall Public Opinion,” Pew Research Center. Retrieved from http://journalistsresource.org/studies/politics/elections/pew-research-twitter-reaction-events-odds-overall-public-opinion

Morozov,E. (2009). “The brave new world of slacktivism,” Foreign Policy (19 May). Retrieved from http://neteffect.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/05/19/the_brave_new_world_of_slacktivism

Rainie, L., Smith, A., Lehman Schlozman, K.,Brady, H & Verba, S. (2012). “Social Media and Political Engagement,” Pew Internet & American Life Project. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2012/10/19/social-media-and-political-engagement/