E-activism?
A regular day of your week. While scrolling on your social media or checking the news, it is almost certain that you're going to face another post regarding a current issue. Hate speech, crimes, petitions, or even comments regarding imminent public concerns. Some people react by calling them spammers, some consider them as haters or anarchists. Some of them though, are e-activists.
You may have found yourself wondering... what is really e-activism?
To begin with, there is no certain definition for the term e-activism. It is best described as a form of activism that is conducted with the use of internet tools. Nowadays, there are a good many tools found on the internet along with a variety of jobs performed there. Activism could not fall far away from that. Following the diversity of options located on the internet, e-activism is found in many forms starting from e-mails, social media, platforms for petitions or even fundraising campaigns. Like the internet, online activism is diverse and constantly evolving, utilizing even hashtags and TikTok applications. But there comes another interesting question... who is an e-activist?
The answer is pretty easy: any person considering themselves to be one. By using information and communication tools, e-activists support, call for action, raise awareness and start campaigns based on activism in order to address issues of public or global concern. If the person is the one that has initiated the activity or is a member that is supporting it or part of an alliance that is actively showing support towards this activity - it is one and the same. As long, of course, as the person wants to call themselves an e-activist. Hence, for example, the initiators of a campaign against children abuse, the people that took part in the campaign by volunteering or other forms of participation, even the people that liked the campaign on Facebook or sent money. These people are all e-activists, as long as they took action in some sense online.
Examples of e-activism?
In this point, an essential characteristic of e-activism has to be clarified . Only an action that has the purpose of supporting the common good of a community, society, or the world as a whole, asking for no financial exchange for the services provided (except if it is calling for support of a good cause) and calls a collective -from a small community to the whole world- in action can be considered as e-activism. An e-activist action contains within it an online call for action, regardless if that action happens online or offline; even if an offline activity has an online call for action, but that shares its methods of communication online. An offline activist project can also leave some kind of impact on the people that follow it online. No matter what sort of online tools one uses (social media, platforms, websites, online radio, etc.) as long as the activity follows the previous description, it is included in the e-activism spectrum.
There is a multitude of cases and examples that belong to the e-activism spectrum. One such form is the alternative information of a topic widely unacceptable to be spoken about or excluding voices from a wider audience. Such examples are found in the No-Hate-Speech movement (against the online hate speech) and in sharing and connecting stories which are empowering for other people who their voice is not being heard. As an example, there have been online video campaigns, namely "it gets better", where people of LGBT+ community are sharing their stories/thoughts on their experience of the declining discrimination they are facing. A call for action internationally through social media (like the Arab Spring), community building, lobbying, fundraising, can all be considered to be e-activism. The European Union is also supporting these kinds of projects with the aim of changing people’s attitudes and increasing tolerance.
Like any other type of activism, online activism can be illegal or even fall under the rule of law as a criminal offense. For example, the actions of the Anonymous group, Julian Assange’s Wikileaks or the documents disclosed by Edward Snowden are famous examples, which despite gathering a strong public support, are all accused of either acting against the legal rights of national institutions or/and private businesses or threatening national security.
People might also wonder... why is there such a thing? In general this question is more of a reflection for the person that is initiating the activity. There is no clear guideline on how to find a concrete reason why e-activist campaigns start. Mainly, the purpose lies in acting for a specific issue in the fastest and widest way possible. There should also be in mind that some of the issues to be addressed are online.
Keeping in mind all of the above, while you are either having a coffee, spending your time scrolling or reading and commenting on your social media, annoyed or even angry for those people disturbing you, think twice.. cause it's another day for you in paradise.
Sources: The E-manual on E-activism by IYNF, International Amnesty
Links: https://itgetsbetter.org/
https://www.coe.int/en/web/no-hate-campaign
Author: Antonis K.
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