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Activism and the Internet

Document Citado por Related
Vincent
AutorMiguel Lago
Páginas174-175

Page 174

See note 71

"What you promote is couch-activism". This is a phrase that everyone who has used the Internet as a platform for civic mobilization has heard. The logic of it is interesting and, at first glance, it seams to make sense. A click on its own does not reflect or suggest a great deal of engagement in a cause. After all, if a cause matters, we will do much more for it that a click right? Yes, if the material conditions the world provided for each citizen were perfect. Yes, if the citizen didn’t need to work or pay bills. The degree of direct participation that went into democratic decisions in Athens was only possible because of slavery and the fact that Athenian citizens did not need to work. There was no scarcity of time. So, how to open more fronts for participation in and democratize modern societies, or go beyond voting, in the current job market which makes "free time" a scarcity? The Internet may be the solution for this problem.

The existing criticism towards couch-activism, which undervalues the "online" mobilizations, tens to come from a few intellectuals and activists, who can make the time to engage themselves, because of the reality of their work schedule, where it be professionally (working in NGOs, in academia) or in correlation with their profession. Thus it is possible to participate in assemblies, meetings, engage in more long-term, continuous ways, in issues that really take more time to be addressed. Unfortunately, this is not the reality of most workers, who, in Brazil, must comply with their mandatory 44-hour weeks, as well as the average displacement time from home to work in metropolitan areas, of on average 1 hour. This represents at least 50 hours dedicated solely to your work. As such, discussing full involvement is all well and good, but not everyone can go out to the streets in the afternoon, or it in an amphitheater where a forum is being held, because unfortunately people have to work. And while people are working there will always be a group of select few who participate in political life.

In this context, the great advantage of digital activism is that it breaks such space and time barriers. You can participate at any given time, at

Page 175

the level of engagement that your time and workload allow for. You can participate from home, from work, from the bus. And if you only have 5 minutes a day to participate, the Internet allows you to do so. Online activism is the only way to assure the...

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