Activism for the 21st Century
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WElcome

Digital activists and online ambassadors use information technology and online spaces to act for human rights and organize and inspire online communities with the aim of changing the state of human rights in the world for the better.

This site is designed to serve as a resource page for human rights activism and education. Throughout these pages, you will find tips, tools, and strategies for integrating digital and mobile technologies into traditional activism, as well as taking online activism offline.
“Online activism changed me from a woman who actively put down other women to one who actively uplifts them. Online activism changed me from a white woman with unchecked privilege who actively oppressed people of color to a woman who has lost friends because she tells them to shut their racist mouths. Online activism has changed me from a woman who hated her body, to a woman who realizes just how beautiful she is. No one EVER tell me online activism isn’t good for anything.”
~ sazziscooler.tumblr.com via aquieterrioter.tumblr.com

Develop an action plan

Define: What is our challenge or problem? What do we need to be able to do? What do we need to communicate?

Plan: What resources do we have? What talents do we have in our membership? Who can manage our online profile(s)? How much time can we commit? Who is our audience? What information do we want to share? Do we want to encourage dialogue or simply broadcast information?

Do: Decide which platform(s) are best suited for your group’s needs and resources. Identify which member(s) of your group will manage which online profiles. Outline what kinds of information you want to share with your network (e.g., group news and events, campaign updates and actions, human rights news, etc.). Decide how often your profile should be updated. Connect with similar users (i.e., “like” Facebook groups, follow Twitter users and Tumblrs). Start posting and grow your audience!

Evaluate: Set goals (for example, new followers or number of posts) and measure activity with platform-based analytics or other influence-measuring tools such as Klout.

Digital Toolbox

  • The Info-Activism How-To Guide:  Strategies and tools for digital campaigning (Tactical Technology Collective)
  • 10 tactics for turning information in action (Tactical Technology Collective)
  • Tips and tools for effective e-activism (Amnesty.org)
  • Mashable.com: Activism
Picture
Picture
Amnesty International (amnestyinternational_usa via Flickr)

5 tips

for sparking a grassroots movement online:
  1. Don't raise an issue, tell a story
  2. Reward your supporters
  3. Amplify your message
  4. Remove barriers to participation
  5. Empower your volunteers

Anne Driscoll, 5 Tips for Sparking a Grassroots Movement Online. Mashable.com.

10 tactics

for turning information into action:
  1. mobilise people
  2. witness and record
  3. visualise your message
  4. amplify personal stories
  5. just add humour
  6. manage your contacts
  7. use complex data
  8. use collective intelligence
  9. let people ask the questions
  10. investigate and expose

10 tactics for turning information into action: Tactical Technology Collective. 
Header image: Anna Philips (kiwi.girl via Flickr) in Wellington, NZ (2007)
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