Serious research on 4chan, where Anonymous began

http://www.slate.com/id/2297492

"The researchers captured two weeks of activity on /b/ last summer: 5,576,096 posts in 482,559 threads. As you can gather, the pace is furious. The median life of a thread was 3.9 minutes. The shortest-lived thread disappeared in 28 seconds; the longest survived for 6 hours and 12 minutes."

I would guess this means the researchers are in possession of questionably illegal content, but nevertheless, it's good research that shows the value(?) of anonymity on a message board.  The question they were asking is, how can such a chaotic, wild-west web site produce so many popular internet memes?  The answer; it's a chaotic, wild-west web site.

Is ICA good for revolution, but not governing? Hell yes.

http://profoundheterogeneity.com/2011/06/the-critical-question/comment-page-1/#comment-79

"While generally I am a cautious optimist when it comes to the question of does social media enable people to resist and coordinate against oppressive regimes (more on the side of Shirky on this, less on the side of Morozov), I am far more skeptical on the question of whether or not social media powered revolutions yield stability. They might be really good in the short term, but the attributes which make social media powerful in the short term, might also be a hindrance in the long term, not so good at long lasting stability."

I posted a response to this article:

I think you missed a couple of important points. First, the soul of democracy is that people have a voice, where they can expound on their views and opinions. This means there is a cacophany of ideas all around. but as Kevin Kelly shows, we do not need to fear chaos so much as we think. I learned this studying the group Anonymous. They shun anyone who would consider themselves a leader of Anonymous, yet the efficiently and creatively built a movement against the Church of Scientology. Argument and fighting are just considered a part of their process, not something to be avoided, because out of that arguing and fighting comes action. Your article almost sounds like you fear too many people having a voice.
Secondly, you should see getting rid of Mubarak as one action. Once that was done, that process closed, and the next action – organizing political parties and holding an election – is the next step. They are two different things that require completely different organizing. While the protests were essentially leaderless, you can’t really have a leaderless government, by definition. So I don’t think you should bemoan one process because it’s not like another process.

Anybody in Washington, DC? Good discussion upcoming in July

http://www.meetup.com/intlrel-76/events/23103221/

Online Activism after #ArabSpring : What's Next?
When: Thursday, July 14th 5:30 PM
Where: IREX 2121 K St NW # 700, Washington D.C
Agenda

• Gathering, Networking: 5:30-5:45
• Panel discussion 5:45-6:30 (about 5-7 minutes per speaker)
• Questions: 6:30-7
• Optional happy hour at Circle Bistro: 7-9

Looks good!  Wish I could go...

Tripoli protesters slowed down, not stopped, by Internet stoppage

http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFLDE75M0TJ20110624?sp=true

Opponents of Gaddafi in the Libyan capital say they have had to revert to the kind of methods of communication used by dissidents and revolutionaries before the age of social media.
Unable to build networks on Facebook and Twitter, they have had to feel their way around slowly, the "old-fashioned way", to make contact with like-minded people in other neighbourhoods.
"It is difficult to reach other groups," said an activist who gave his name as Salim.
"There is a lot of fear and people don't trust each other."

* * *

   This article shows one of the main advantages of ICA; speed.  What could take minutes online takes hours using other methods.  I suppose this also speaks to the strong-ties vs. weak-ties of social networking. To me, strong ties are less necessary online.  It's possible to be more anonymous online and still work together, which makes trust less of an issue.  Now that I think about it, that's probably the biggest difference between strong and weak ties, the amount of trust established.  If a group can work together while spending less time having to check each other out, that's a time-saver right there. 

video talk on social media speeding up actions

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/video/2011/jun/22/hillary-clinton-adviser-internet-dictators-video?CMP=twt_gu

Nice short talk by Alec Ross, senior advisor on innovation to Hillary Clinton.

For ICA, the internet is necessary but not sufficient

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jun/16/networks-fame-revolutions

"By the same token, a global network that allows loosely coordinated groups of people to discover each other and act in concert while exposing their cause to the whole planet (especially its richest, most privileged residents) is not enough to overthrow a dictator — but I'm sure I wouldn't want to try to stage a revolution without such a network."

And there it is.  The internet does not magically accomplish anything. It is just the latest best tool to USE to help you accomplish things.  It doesn't make people braver, it just gives them easier access to like-minded people who might be braver when they collaborate.  It doesn't make you smarter, it just gives you easier access to information that could prove to be useful.  It doesn't make you more talented, but it does give you access to tools that make many tasks easier.

The internet helps.

The ubiquitous video camera is changing the world

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/surveillant-society/2011/06/17/AGnbbOZH_story.html


“'Your word against mine' can be a serious and drawn-out dispute, subject to all kinds of subjective judgments, loyalties, rights, and arguments; 'Your word against my high-definition video' gives citizens and the vulnerable a bit more leverage."

   What happens when most people are walking around with a high-quality video recording device?  And those videos can be put on public display almost instantly?  How will citizen-produced videos be verified as unaltered?  This is a useful article to consider.

ICA in Vancouver to catch rioters

http://m.ctv.ca/topstories/20110616/angry-vancouver-residents-call-for-public-to-identify-rioters-110616.html

"Rioters who smashed windows, flipped and burned cars and generally caused mayhem in downtown Vancouver after the Canucks' loss Wednesday night may discover some unwelcome evidence of their actions when they log into Facebook on Thursday.
A social media movement has taken root in the aftermath of the chaos, with angry, embarrassed citizens posting images online and asking for help identifying the perpetrators."

This is a pretty classic example of ICA. People work together at their own pace to accomplish a simple goal; in this case, identifying rioters.

More info:
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Vancouverites+fight+back+against+rioters+through+social+media/4958109/story.html 

UPDATE: one million photos sent to police!

How the Internet is used in revolution, by both sides

http://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/gratis/Diamond-21-3.pdf

 "It is important for the United States to have declared, as Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton did in a historic speech on January 21, that 'We stand
for a single Internet where all of humanity has equal access to knowledge
and ideas.' But the struggle for electronic access is really just the timeless
struggle for freedom by new means. It is not technology, but people,
organizations, and governments that will determine who prevails."

   This is a nice look at how revolutions have used the Internet, and how governments have also used the Internet to thwart revolutions.

Iceland crowdsources new Constitution

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/09/iceland-crowdsourcing-constitution-facebook


As the country recovers from the financial crisis that saw the collapse of its banks and government, it is using social media to get its citizens to share their ideas as to what the new document should contain.
"I believe this is the first time a constitution is being drafted basically on the internet," said Thorvaldur Gylfason, member of Iceland's constitutional council.

* * * *

It's nice to see a government that thinks its citizens are smart enough to give direct input for important changes.  Perhaps this will be a sign of the future.

Study of Facebook activist group and hierarchy

http://www.peerevaluation.org/pdf/download/libraryID:10

"The present study seeks to better understand the mechanisms of influence and participatory structures of a single, open, political Facebook group that has successfully organized offline action without relying on a defined hierarchical structure. The April 6th Youth Movement Facebook group has over 80,000 members and no leader, yet is still capable of acting in
concert with the intent of reforming the repressive offline political sphere in Egypt."

Governments fear the internet

http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=55951

"The internet has become a crucial instrument to facilitate human rights and citizen participation, and therefore it is fundamental for building and strengthening democracy, he [LaRue] added." 

Governments fear what they can't control. And in fact, the internet gives citizens another outlet for ideas and information, besides being a quicker method for organizing.

snoop software to Egyptian government

http://advocacy.globalvoicesonline.org/2011/05/07/egypt-how-companies-help-the-government-spy-on-activists/

Of course the uses AGAINST activists should be considered as well when discussing Internet activism.

Tearing down the Tyrannical facade

Tearing Down the Tyrannical facade
by Jeff Jacobsen 2011

"One must endure the unwisdom of one's masters." [Scott, p. 17, quoting The Phoenician Women, by Euripides]

   The wave of public protests that began this spring of 2011 in Tunisia, dubbed the Arab Awakening, has spread to several countries, including Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain, and Syria.  Each of these has a popular uprising to alter or replace the current tyrannical government.  Through some particular spark, a large portion of the population was emboldened to publicly protest against the severe restrictions imposed on the people by their overly-long and overly-demanding leadership.  Each of these leaders handled the protests by similar deadly means, invoking similar excuses against the complaints on the street. 

   Each of these leaders had been in power for decades.  Had the people suddenly decided  all at once that they couldn't take it anymore?  The social restrictions had not suddenly gotten worse.  Why, then, since the people had suffered under their leader for so long, yet maintained a silent tolerance, did they begin en masse demanding major alterations of their government?  Why were these complaints bottled up for so long?  What brought them out?

   James C. Scott's book, Domination and the Arts of Resistance, helps to answer why citizens of a government that subdues the will of its people appear from the outside to be willing participants or at leat tolerant citizens. In fact, an alternate opinion actually circulates through the populace.  This "hidden transcript" as Scott calls the unseen popular political opinion (and Vaclav Havel calls "living within the truth"), is successfully covered by the "public transcript" which is the viewpoint that the tyranny wants the public and the world to view as the real narrative of the country.  There are, then, three "transcripts" or political viewpoints of the country.  The public transcript is the fake, the one the elites create and promote as the "real" face of the country.  This view generally proclaims that the country is united behind the tyrant, is happy with its government, has little or no dissension within, is powerful and stable.  The second is the "hidden transcript" which is what the citizens talk about when it is safe.  When citizens are away from the prying eyes and ears of the government, be that security cameras, police, spies, or the true believers, they may then feel free to speak about what they really believe of their government.  Since discussion of this actual transcript goes against the public transcript, any reference to it in public brings punishment.  Only the public transcript is supposed to actually exist.
  
   The third transcript is the elite transcript. This is what those in power speak about when THEY are not in the public eye.  Since the public transcript is wishful thinking on the part of the elites rather than reality, they too must speak in a certain restricted way except when they are out of range of camera or citizen.  Thus, both the citizens and the elites in public and in sight of each other promote and pretend to live in the public transcript, while in their private, safe conversations, they speak differently, more truthfully.  "The show is all actors, and no audience" says Scott.  [p. 59] 

    Why does this happen?  Why is everyone promoting and living in a facade?  Vaclav Havel, before he became president of Czechoslovakia, was a dissident under communist rule.  Because he spoke the hidden transcript, and helped form Charter 77 to try to get others to speak the hidden transcript in his country, Havel was often jailed or harassed by the government.  To explain the staying power of the public transcript, Havel wrote of a grocer in communist Czechoslovakia.  This grocer had a poster in the window of his shop, "workers of the world, unite!"  Why, Havel asks, did the grocer put this poster in his window?  Because it represented his acceptance of the public transcript.  The government asked him to put this in my window, and he had done so.  He knows it represents the facade of this government. He knows by putting it in his window that he is forwarding this facade. But he declares by this poster that he doesn't want any trouble. I will play along in order to get along, he thinks.

   The grocer knows that there are penalties for being anything other than enthusiastic toward the public transcript.  He could be reprimanded, fined, lose his job, or if he displayed any dissent, perhaps even go to prison. 

   The grocer could well be your average citizen in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and the other countries before the Arab Awakening.  The average citizen wants freedom. He wants freedom from the facade of the public transcript and freedom to speak the hidden transcript, which is the real one.  But he also knows that the government wants only the public transcript to see the light of day.  And the government, through its police, spies, and all the other extensive resources at hand, has the power to enforce strict adherance to the public transcript.  What should he do, then?  Put the poster in the window, or not?

   "The practice of domination, then, creates the hidden transcript," says Scott [p. 27].  The choice of the grocer is to decide whether to live as things are and have long been, under domination and living within a lie, or to risk the wrath of the tyranny by speaking the truth as he sees it.  Speaking the truth is an assault on the tyrant's domination.   Even the lowly grocer is a threat because one lowly grocer could entice others to follow suit.  This could lead to a group or mob, which gains power through power in numbers and collectively reinforces the exhileration of speaking what is actually on their minds to others and to the powers that be.  Individuals are easily subdued. Motivated crowds are not.  To prevent anyone from veering off the public transcript, rulers "make subordinates entirely dependent upon their superiors, effectively isolated from one another, and more or less constantly under observation." [p. 128]  Even one person, like the child who stated "the Emperor has no clothes!" is a threat to the public transcript and thus to the tyrant.

   The grocer does have some options.  Instead of directly attacking the public transcript, he can accuse the elites of not llving up to the public transcript themselves.  For instance, if the elites have promised a minimum wage but never established one, the elites themselves are not living up to the public transcript.   While this type of dissent is still dangerous, it is less so since it is a complaint made within the "reality" that the elites have established.   He could also express solidarity with those struggling against a tyranny in another country, thus safely demanding freedom from repression, even though it isn't his own repression.  The grocer could also hide his speech indirectly, such as in a play or a painting with dual meaning, where he could insist that the innocent meaning is his real intent, while the tyrant is stung by the second meaning.  

   Tunisia was the first country to rise up this spring.  A young man named Mohammed Bouazizi had been mistreated and downtrodden by his government, enough to make him set himself on fire.  The incredible frustration demonstrated by Bouazizi hit a chord with many other Tunisians, who decided that they, too, had had enough.  They went into the streets to peacefully protest for better government and more freedom.  The government responded by beating, tear gassing, and even shooting protesters.  Many were arrested and tortured.  Still people protestsed.  The regime  was put in a dilemma; they could not legitimately say that their country was united behind the tyranny at the same time as the huge demonstrations agasint the government were going on.  There was a limit to the number of protesters they could jail and kill without collapsing the entire society.  Also, there is a limit to a tyrant claiming legitimacy at the same time he is torturing and killing his own people for simply demanding better government.  After several weeks of protests and many needless deaths, President Ben Ali resigned. 

   Egypt followed next with a very similar outline.  President Mubarak, who had been president for 42 years, capitulated after 9 weeks of protests.  As of this writing, Yemen, Bahrain, and Libya are in a struggle to free themselves from longtime tyrannies.  The tyrant, of course, wants to remain.  His regime claims that the protests are outsiders stirring up trouble.  This facade is to maintain the fiction that the citizens are united behind the dictator and would have no reason to seek change.  Any dissension, therefore, cannot come from within.

   It is clear that the subjects of a tyranny privately chafe at the chains the public transcript traps them in.  As the Arab Awakening shows, people desire freedom from repression enough to risk even being killed at a protest.  If you decide to speak out and want to break through the public transcript, you have a large audience that already understands the issues, is on your side, and perhaps is even willing to to risk working with you.  But can you know that if YOU risk confronting the regime that others will also come forward?  That is difficult, and generally speaking the answer is no.  In Tunisia, Mohammed Bouazizi , who set himself on fire, apparently felt that no one would back him up.  But his death is considered the tipping point  that led to the downfall of Ben Ali's 23-year reign.  Havel blames the public transcript for hiding how ripe the citizenry might be for a revolt.  "And since all genuine problems and matters of critical importance are hidden beneath a thick crust of lies, it is never quite clear when the proverbial last straw will fall, or what that straw will be.  This too, is why the regime prosecutes, almost as a reflex reaction preventively, even the most modest attempts to live within the truth." (Havel, p. 42)

   We remember the times when revolution toppled the tyrant. Those brave ones who were crushed before any movement could form behind them are mostly forgotten or even unknown.

    We have not yet solved the grocer's dilemma.  Should he put the poster in his window?  The solution is an individual decision.  There is no formula.  He has to decide whether to keep his head down and survive in the lie he and his country are living.  Or he can choose to risk and stand up for his conscience.  It is not an easy nor a light decision.

BOOKS


Vaclav Havel, The Power of the Powerless, M.E. Sharpe, 1985.  Johne Keane, editor



James C. Scott, Domination and the Arts of Resistance: The Hidden Transcripts,  Yale University Press, 1992

Bono presents app for activists

http://www.fastcompany.com/1756574/new-app-from-one-to-mobilize-activists

"ONE's new iPhone app lets you sign petitions, but also makes it easy to do things like call the White House or even helps give you information on how to get out to a real live protest. And--of course--there are plans to gameify everything. Prepare to compete for the title of most involved activist."

This doesn't look very powerful to me, but it's another help in networking and finding causes that may interest you.