The Weird and The Wacky Meet

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Media Diary 7:  Internet Activism

Do you believe the new communication technologies will improve or damage participatory democracy?  Why?  Can you relate a personal experience of how the Net increased or limited your involvement in the political process?

 

                 I believe that the new communication technologies will certainly improve participatory democracy.  The Internet is a valuable tool that brings people closer together.  It allows for everyone to access information that is vital to being an informed voter, not to mention that you can be reminded about the political process through e-mail, instant messaging, blogs, and various websites.  There are various organizations that allow ordinary people to write to their Senators and Representatives with just a click of a mouse button.  I realize that there are concerns about cheating when it comes to things like online voting, but I think that these can be countered with fair accounting measures and paper receipts.

                 When I was Social Action Chairperson for my local church, one of my duties was to bring the committee new ways that we could help the community at large.  Every month I would go online, and I found several charities with excellent websites that did more than just plead for money.  One of my favorites is Feminist.org, which allows people to send various e-mails to appropriate government officials about women’s issues that are both alarming and relevant.  The nice thing was that I knew I was sending my information to the relevant party.  I found several sites that helped me become a better social activist.  I was able to do research, and find which places needed the most help.  Some of my favorite web-based activities that I brought back to my church were letter-writing campaigns for feminist issues, organizations that were staging anti-war protests that the whole church attended, and finding a supplier for free trade coffee, which didn’t abuse migrant workers.  In short, the web helped me become a better activist, and I, and the people I was able to help were better for it.

Copyright 2005

by Amanda Evans

Date: 05/03/05