Week Nine

This reading was a LOT to get through and I’ll probably have to go through it a couple more times because I barely processed any of it. One thing I did notice, however, was the very brief mention of social media activism. The author mentions a critic who referred to it as “slactivism, as opposed to the real activism taking place on the ground.” I know this wasn’t a main focus, but I think that view is a dangerous one. Like Christen says, “technology becomes the revolutionary figure.” Technology, and more specifically social media, plays a huge role in social activism today. This article was written a while ago, but even back then there was important things happening on social media. Social media gives people that may not be able to physically go out and participate in “real” activism a way to still be a part of something and make an impact. Big movements and issues like Me Too and the DAPL and March for our Lives would not have gotten as big as they were without technology and social media.

There’s a brief mention of Google and the “blind faith” people have in and their practices amidst a conversation about open access on the internet. I just liked that because that’s what I’m doing my final project and paper on. I think the idea of complete open access is interesting. In theory, it sounds great, everyone having the ability to access and endless stream of knowledge. I can’t think of a specific example as I’m writing this, but I do think that there are definitely some things that not everyone should have access to. At this point in time you can find almost anything by doing a quick Google search, so we almost have this unlimited knowledge, but just not quite. I have sufficient access to things that I need, so it’s not a subject I think about very much.