Occupy Rhetoric: Responding To Charges Of "Slacktivism" With Digital Activism Successes

Abstract

By examining three major digital activist events-the Arab Spring, the indignados movement, and Occupy Wall Street-the authors illustrate that digital activism motivates and facilitates real offline behaviors beyond slacktivism by reviewing successful strategies and outcomes that were part of each movement. Moreover, in examining the issue of slacktivism, the authors demonstrate that slacktivism is not always digital, and that the power of weak ties has demonstrable effects in protester behavior and coordination. Finally, the rhetorical situations and exigencies of these major digital activist events are examined; this is an area ripe for more direct analysis and commentary. Understanding the rhetorical situations and exigencies involved in successful digital activist events allows researchers and practitioners a better understanding of integrated approaches to public involvement using social media.

Publication Date

11-22-2016

Publication Title

Handbook of Research on Citizen Engagement and Public Participation in the Era of New Media

Number of Pages

179-193

Document Type

Article; Book Chapter

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-1081-9.ch011

Socpus ID

85015575700 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85015575700

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