Overview

Cyberactivism examines the growing importance of on-line activism. The contributors show how online activists have used new technologies as a tool for change, and how they have given new meaning to terms such as 'activism' and 'community'. Topics addressed include the Mexican Zapatista movement's use of the web to promote their cause globally, and the activities of 'hacktivists' who disrupt commercial computer websites.

Full Product Details

9780415943192

Table of Contents

Reviews

Here's a book with a plethora of information. I was surprised at a thing or two in this book that I wasn't aware of. I was also intrigued by some of the thought-provoking questions raised about the perceived separation between the 'real' world and the 'fake' cyber-world. Very intriguing indeed, especially for academics and theorists. I found Cyberactivism to be fascinating with many resources for those who may be thinking about or already using the net to increase their audience. - Altar Magazine, Summer 2003 This is one of the first books to back up theoretical assertions regarding online democracy with vivid and fascinating examples from the anti-globalization movement, ethnic and sexual identity websites, and hactivist and tactical media histories. Cyberactivism features great storytelling and it is refreshingly grounded, pragmatic, and accessible. As the Internet becomes co-opted by media industry giants, it is increasingly vital that pockets of resistance to media hegemony be identified and studied. This book is a fine primer for those interested in studying how activism has happened on the Internet, and how it might happen in the future. -Lisa Nakamura, University of Wisconsin, Madison It's about time we saw a concentrated examination of online activism in book form...Cyberactivism is a vital contribution to Internet Studies as well as a welcome antidote to the commercialization of the internet. By critically examining the political forces that shape the internet, this book brings to the foreground those elements of technology that constrain as well as enable individual and group action. -Annette N. Markham, University of Illinois at Chicago Thecontributors do not deal solely with the empowering aspects of the internet; the struggles they describe are poignant reminders of the politically volatile and overtly commercialized social structures we live in. Yet one completes the book feeling hopeful, realizing the extentto which the internet can engender the potential to resist hegemony in everyday life as well as across the globe. We know better than to believe that the internet is inherently democratic, but this book reminds us that the potential for collective action is strong. -Annette N. Markham, University of Illinois at Chicago There is nothing quite like this book. This wonderful collection of case studies calls attention to the use of the internet as a new stage in the history of social movements around the globe. Cyberactivism is must reading for activists and social movement scholars. -Verta Taylor Professor of Sociology, University of California Santa Barbara

Here's a book with a plethora of information. I was surprised at a thing or two in this book that I wasn't aware of. I was also intrigued by some of the thought-provoking questions raised about the perceived separation between the 'real' world and the 'fake' cyber-world. Very intriguing indeed, especially for academics and theorists. I found Cyberactivism to be fascinating with many resources for those who may be thinking about or already using the net to increase their audience. <br>- Altar Magazine, Summer 2003 <br> This is one of the first books to back up theoretical assertions regarding online democracy with vivid and fascinating examples from the anti-globalization movement, ethnic and sexual identity websites, and hactivist and tactical media histories. Cyberactivism features great storytelling and it is refreshingly grounded, pragmatic, and accessible. As the Internet becomes co-opted by media industry giants, it is increasingly vital that pockets of resistance to media hegemony be identified and studied. This book is a fine primer for those interested in studying how activism has happened on the Internet, and how it might happen in the future. <br>-Lisa Nakamura, University of Wisconsin, Madison <br> It's about time we saw a concentrated examination of online activism in book form...Cyberactivism is a vital contribution to Internet Studies as well as a welcome antidote to the commercialization of the internet. By critically examining the political forces that shape the internet, this book brings to the foreground those elements of technology that constrain as well as enable individual and group action. <br>-Annette N. Markham, University of Illinois at Chicago <br> Thecontributors do not deal solely with the empowering aspects of the internet; the struggles they describe are poignant reminders of the politically volatile and overtly commercialized social structures we live in. Yet one completes the book feeling hopeful, realizing the extentto which the internet can engender the potential to resist hegemony in everyday life as well as across the globe. We know better than to believe that the internet is inherently democratic, but this book reminds us that the potential for collective action is strong. <br>-Annette N. Markham, University of Illinois at Chicago <br> There is nothing quite like this book. This wonderful collection of case studies calls attention to the use of the internet as a new stage in the history of social movements around the globe. Cyberactivism is must reading for activists and social movement scholars. <br>-Verta Taylor Professor of Sociology, University of California Santa Barbara <br>

Author Information

Martha McCaughey is Associate Professor and Director of Women's Studies in the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies at Virginia Tech. Mike Ayers is a doctorial student in Sociology at the New School for Social Research.

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