Can cute cats catalyse social change?
Posted: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 by Kathryn McConnachie in Labels: armchair activism, cute cat theory of digital activism, digiactive, digital activism, ethan zukerman, lol cats, social change
It has been said that any sufficiently advanced read/write platform will inevitably be used for two purposes: pornography and activism. While porn provides the basic mic test (‘tap tap… is this thing on?’), activism is said to provide the stronger test of the platform’s efficacy. As such, if activists are using the platform and/or tools, it can be considered a good indication of their usability and usefulness.
Ethan Zuckerman’s Cute Cat Theory of Digital Activism provides an interesting platform for discussion surrounding the use of social technology by activists. According to his theory, Web 1.0 crudely functioned as a means for scientists to share research papers. Web 2.0 on the other hand, was developed for people to share cute pictures of their cats. Now that web developers have embraced the fact that people want to share pictures of cats, there is a growing wealth of technology that is useful not only for the frivolous sharing of 'LOL Cat' images, but also for serious activists.
According to DigiActive, digital activism is defined as the use of networked technologies by grassroots activists for social or political change. No wonder we get so many invitations to join new Facebook groups for various causes ranging from removing Malema as ANCYL President, to a petition for Facebook to add a ‘dislike’ button. The ease with which content can be created and shared has unleashed boundless opportunities for the way in which activists can represent their causes and reach people with their messages.
The use of new media technologies by activists can have positive effects in terms increasing the visibility of certain causes and creating awareness. It is however not a fool-proof method of making a difference. A major sticking point lies in the danger of fostering a culture of ‘one-click’ or ‘armchair/desktop activism’.
With this in mind, through this blog I hope to explore the different ways in which new media technologies are being harnessed by activists across the world, and offer a critical perspective on the efficacy of their usage.