No Digital “Castles in the Air”: Online Non-Participation and the Radical Left

Abstract

This article presents results from a study of online presence in activist milieus associated with the radical left in Sweden discussed from a perspective of non-participation. With the aim to further the understanding of digital nonparticipation as communicative strategy in activism, it builds upon empirical findings and argues that the online practices and use of social media, as could be observed in milieus associated with the radical left, indicates active nonparticipation and that this, in turn, is related to the ambition to claim autonomy. The article draws from existing scholarship on critical perspectives on protest movements and social media as well as empirical examples of online content published by radical leftist groups. Furthermore, it analyses how these activities could be understood in terms of active and passive non-participation, abstention or adaptation to social media affordances, as well as implosion of the social in digital media. The findings suggest that much of the activities in the material could be described as active nonparticipation and that this media practice relates to ideological positioning and values in the milieu.

A study on digital inclusion of Chinese rural older adults from a life course perspective

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The paradox and continuum of digital disengagement: denaturalising digital sociality and technological connectivity

“…What is perhaps most striking in all these findings is not merely the variety of motivations, but their ‘qualitative’ difference: while some are individualised and self-centred, others are driven by collective, social and political concerns. The latter, in particular, carry a potential to undo the centrality of digital media in our lives, for example, by calling to actively resist and sabotage digital platforms (Andersson, 2016; Casemajor et al, 2015), or by refusing social media participation to protest exploitative labour (Portwood-Stacer, 2014) or by rethinking the environmental sustainability of current digital practices (Kuntsman and Rattle, 2019). The former, however, often result in temporary withdrawal in ways that only supports the dominance of digital sociality: ‘unfriending’ some people on Facebook (Gershon, 2011; John and Dvir-Gvirsman, 2015), reducing the use of devices on holidays in order to resume their ‘regular’ use upon return (Mowlabocus, 2016) or ‘relapsing’ after leaving (Baumer et al, 2013).…”

Active Disconnection: Self-Reflection on Non-Use of Information and Communication Technologies

“…Unlike previous researchers who understand the active and passive nonparticipation give various analyses from their professional views (Andersson, 2016), the article will explore the users' understanding of their active disconnections.…”