Revisiting mediated activism

Abstract

In this paper, my interest is to map out central arguments in recent studies of mediated activism, identify blindspots, and call for a sociological approach to link the study of media activism to a broad conception of social change. On a subject that brings together various disciplines and fields of inquiry, a sociological sensitivity to multiple forms of media activism and social change is necessary to understand not only what activists do with media but also the contributions of mediated activism to collective action and social change.

Trust in Taiwan’s Media Ecology, Audience and Civic Engagement: 2018 Taiwanese Local Elections and National Referenda as a Case Study

“…This study aims to examine LGBT groups' mediated activism during the 2018 Taiwanese referenda for marriage equality. According to Waisbord (2018), mediated activism refers to the utilization of media technologies and institutional resources for collective action, including expressing demands, giving visibility to identities, raising awareness about social problems and solutions, petitioning authorities, and advocating for policy and legal changes. As mediated activism involves tactics, goals and platforms, social media has played an essential part in disseminating the information, disinformation and misinformation for both pro-and anti-marriage equality groups this time.…”

"Sin mujeres no hay revolución" : transversal feminist politics in the digital mediated activism of the Argentine collective Ni una menos

“…Starting with the literature review in chapter two, I put existing literature on mediated activism, social movements and feminism in conversation to give a solid foundation to my study of Ni Una Menos and its implications for media and politics. I particularly engage the arguments of media scholars who have found that communication technologies, digital and otherwise, are not only tools for expression in the public sphere but structuring elements that shape the opportunities and obstacles people face to exercise citizenship and activism (Waisbord, 2018). Scholarship on mediated activism has focused on the ways that new communication technologies have disrupted the relationship between media and collective action (Earl & Kimport, 2011).…”

“…However, scholars such as Tufecki (2017) and Waisbord (2018) have noted that the enthusiasm over digital technologies and their use by contemporary social movements have resulted in naïve celebrations of digital networks as inherently emancipatory tools. Waisbord (2018) specifies that research on digital activism has focused its attention on protest and expression while ignoring "the multidimensional and longitudinal impact of networked citizenship" (p. 3).…”

“…However, scholars such as Tufecki (2017) and Waisbord (2018) have noted that the enthusiasm over digital technologies and their use by contemporary social movements have resulted in naïve celebrations of digital networks as inherently emancipatory tools. Waisbord (2018) specifies that research on digital activism has focused its attention on protest and expression while ignoring "the multidimensional and longitudinal impact of networked citizenship" (p. 3). Furthermore, Fenton (2016) and Trottier and Fuchs (2014) have called for the critical interrogation of digital activism vis-à-vis the politics of digital surveillance, the class dynamics that mediate Internet access and use globally, and the power of digital corporations and governments.…”

“…Furthermore, Fenton (2016) and Trottier and Fuchs (2014) have called for the critical interrogation of digital activism vis-à-vis the politics of digital surveillance, the class dynamics that mediate Internet access and use globally, and the power of digital corporations and governments. It is necessary, then, to engage critical and sociological sensibilities in the study of mediated activism in order to see beyond episodic spectacles of protest and assess the historical and political context that shape and sustain social movements in the digital age (Waisbord, 2018).…”