CIVIL RESISTANCE 2.0A Crowdsourced Project on 21st Century Nonviolence

Mary Joyce@ the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict

November 29, 2012

source: Flickr/moroccanmary

Digital Activism Research ProjectUniversity of Washingtonwww.digital-activism.org

GENE SHARP

introduction for a man who needs no introduction

source: humanfilm.no

GENE SHARP

introduction for a man who needs no introduction

source: humanfilm.no

Nobel Peace Prize nominee

scholar

activist

most influential living theorist of nonviolent struggle

canonical list of 198 methods of nonviolent action (1973)

THE YOUNG TURKS

who definitely do need an introduction

source: Fllickr/Ushahidi

source: Fllickr/Moroccanmary

THE YOUNG TURKS

who definitely do need an introduction

source: Fllickr/Ushahidi source: Fllickr/Moroccanmary

Patrick Meier

Director of Social & Humanitarian Innovation at the Qatar Foundation

PhD - Tufts University

Mary Joyce

Co-Founder of the Digital Activism Research Project

MA/PhD Student - UWresearches digital technology and nonviolence in repressive regimes

researches digital activism in resource-constrained societies

THE MISSION

Meld digital tools with nonviolence methods

source: Fllickr/Elvert Barnes

BUT FIRST

two notes of warningsource: Fllickr/Picture Perfect Pose

ACTIVIST SECURITYDo not attempt digital activism without first considering the

political context in your own country.

• Social media is public, meaning the digital actions of you and the people you connect with can be watched by your government.

• Governments are also getting very good at cracking passwords and linking accounts to physical locations, meaning you can be identified and harmed in the physical world.

• Read “Digital Security for Activists” (https://oldhelp.riseup.net/assets/

digital_security_for_activists.pdf) or “Protecting Your Security Online” (https://

www.accessnow.org/blog/protecting-your-security-online-english-text-only1)

NETWORKED AUTHORITARIANISM While activists are using digital tools to change the power structure, repressive govts are using the same tools to prevent that change.

• Censorship of opposition content, so few people in your country will ever see it (particularly in MENA and China)

• Surveillance of activists, both for chilling effect and to actually apprehend and punish (particularly in MENA and China)

• Propaganda of their own position, successfully using social media to maintain support for the status quo (particularly in CIS)

• Read: Rebecca MacKinnon, Katy Pearce, Evgeny Morozov (above typology is his)

WHY?

NONVIOLENCE IS NOW DIGITAL

Whether nonviolence experts acknowledge it or not.

ACTIVISTS WILL BENEFIT

If digital practices are analyzed by experts in

nonviolence.

bit.ly/CivilResistance

Follow me

source: Fllickr/lightsinmotion

THE PROJECT

Civil Resistance 2.0 : 198 Methods Upgraded

THE METHOD

Open-edit crowdsourcing

ORGANIZATION

Sharp’s method + enhancement + new form + implementation

AN EXAMPLE

Method 1: Public Speeches

NOT ONLY THE GOOD NEWS

Method 43: Public Mourning

ENHANCEMENT

Of the 54 methods of Protest and Persuasion there were only 2 for which we could not find digital enhancements

Though the sections for Noncooperation and Intervention have received fewer notes, coordination of

most of these methods could also be facilitated by digital tools like SMS, email, chat,

and encrypted versions of these technologies.

NEW FORMS

Most means of Protest and Persuasion can now occur online as well as offline.

Because Noncooperation and Intervention require direct engagement with institutions of power, new forms require that the institution of power have an online extension that can

be targeted, such as a “denial of service” attack on a government website.

10 NEW METHODS

1. Maps and Maptivism

2. QR Codes

3. Digital File-Sharing

4. Nonviolent Media Hijacking

5. “Trend” a Hashtag

6. Influence Search Engine Results

7. Livestreaming

8. Check-ins

9. Self-Surveillance

10. Flash Mobs

MAPS AND MAPTIVISM

The digital and global amplifying the physical and local.

QR CODESsource: frogloop.com

source: oneicity.com

Linking physical, mobile, and web.

DIGITAL FILE-SHARING

this could be a tactical manual

Use infrastructure accessible and familiar to your audience, young people use this software for pirating movies and music.

NONVIOLENTLY HIJACK MEDIA

source: http://adkyle.com

Using their own media presence to undermine brand power.

“TREND” A HASHTAG

A prominent position for the opposition narrative.

INFLUENCE SEARCH RESULTS

A safer method of public satire.

LIVESTREAMING

Anyone can mass broadcast the opposition narrative.

CHECK-INS

Activists can check-in to signal participation to friends or leave directly after check-in, creating a protest rally of “ghosts”

SELF-SURVEILLANCE

Surveillance is not only a method of repression.

FLASH MOBS

source: smartmobs.com

source: andrewcarr.org

source: feedbackagency.com

Minsk, 2006

This is a great dilemma action.

MORE CHANGES NEEDED?Method 11 is

Records, Radio, and Television

source: guardian.co.uk

source: clevescene.com

source: cleanenergyjobact.com

AN INVITATION

To advance strategic nonviolence in the 21st century

Digital Activism Research ProjectUniversity of Washingtonwww.digital-activism.org

bit.ly/CivilResistance

To advance strategic nonviolence in the 21st century

source: Flick/Hello Turkey Toe