Undeniably, the convenience of the Internet is tremendously beneficial to us all. I can’t even count the number of times in a day that I Google something, check my email, or look on Blackboard for updates to my classes. Not many things in life are endless, but the possibilities of the Internet are the closest thing to it. Among its many uses, the Internet has recently become a means of mass communication for activism, known as cyberactivism. Through social media, including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, activist groups are now able to, conveniently, inform a large audience about their movement. This is especially significant for those groups that don’t have the means, financial or otherwise, to raise awareness in any other way. Therefore, using the Internet for this purpose can be, not only convenient in that it’s quick and effective, but also quite affordable. In the media-saturated world we live in today, it comes as no surprise that the Internet is being used in this way; it’s definitely a major upgrade from the use of previous sources of communication to raise awareness, such as brochures and telephone calls. Even though these methods, and others similar to these, are still being used today, nothing compares to the effectiveness, affordability, and convenience of the Internet.
Although the use of the Internet in activist groups is definitely a step in the right direction, there is one major flaw: not everyone has access to the Internet. Access is something you hear about often in articles, books, magazines, etc., but it is something that most people ignore because it doesn’t affect them directly. However, the fact of the matter is that many people worldwide simply do not have access to the Internet, and, therefore, would not be able to become informed about activist movements displayed on the Internet. With this in mind, many people take the approach that “nothing in life is perfect” and it still reaches many more people than it would have if it weren’t on the Internet to begin with. This is just another thing to add to the long list of things that people without access to the Internet are missing out on. The only real solution to this problem would be to provide everyone with access: an overwhelmingly daunting task. Anything short of this would not fix the source of the problem, which is lack of access. Considering all of this, using the Internet to raise awareness about a particular activist movement is still very effective and benefits many people.
Resource mobilization theory is the narrow-minded view that successful activist movements require only the acquisition of resources and the mobilization of people towards accomplishing the goals that the group set out to accomplish. One of the major problems with this view is that it assumes that the individuals involved are rational and are certain that the benefits of their movement will outweigh the costs: something that not a single person can be certain of. Life is about taking risks, some of which may be viewed as ‘irrational.’ A very intelligent and logical person can make an irrational decision and have it be the best decision they ever made. Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, left Google to join Facebook, (which many may view as ‘irrational’), and she is now known for being one of the most powerful and influential women in the world. Starting an activist movement requires risk, an element outside of the scope of resource mobilization theory. Though, regardless of the way you view activism and its many sources of raising awareness, the outcomes can be, undoubtedly, inspiring and beneficial to all of mankind.
Although the use of the Internet in activist groups is definitely a step in the right direction, there is one major flaw: not everyone has access to the Internet. Access is something you hear about often in articles, books, magazines, etc., but it is something that most people ignore because it doesn’t affect them directly. However, the fact of the matter is that many people worldwide simply do not have access to the Internet, and, therefore, would not be able to become informed about activist movements displayed on the Internet. With this in mind, many people take the approach that “nothing in life is perfect” and it still reaches many more people than it would have if it weren’t on the Internet to begin with. This is just another thing to add to the long list of things that people without access to the Internet are missing out on. The only real solution to this problem would be to provide everyone with access: an overwhelmingly daunting task. Anything short of this would not fix the source of the problem, which is lack of access. Considering all of this, using the Internet to raise awareness about a particular activist movement is still very effective and benefits many people.
Resource mobilization theory is the narrow-minded view that successful activist movements require only the acquisition of resources and the mobilization of people towards accomplishing the goals that the group set out to accomplish. One of the major problems with this view is that it assumes that the individuals involved are rational and are certain that the benefits of their movement will outweigh the costs: something that not a single person can be certain of. Life is about taking risks, some of which may be viewed as ‘irrational.’ A very intelligent and logical person can make an irrational decision and have it be the best decision they ever made. Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, left Google to join Facebook, (which many may view as ‘irrational’), and she is now known for being one of the most powerful and influential women in the world. Starting an activist movement requires risk, an element outside of the scope of resource mobilization theory. Though, regardless of the way you view activism and its many sources of raising awareness, the outcomes can be, undoubtedly, inspiring and beneficial to all of mankind.