Technology and social movements

On the heels of the global economic crisis of 2008-9, a wave of political resistance emerged that challenged oppressive power structures while rekindling the radical imagination. From Tunisia and Hong Kong to Istanbul and Ferguson, communities have come together to confront authoritarian regimes, extreme economic inequality and deeply institutionalised racism. These uprisings have toppled governments and upturned political parties, while inaugurating a new generation into radical politics. Many features characterise this upsurge of political struggle, from networked organisational structures and deep democratic governance to the leadership of young people, and the central role of digital technologies and social media platforms. Recognising these shifts, scholars have begun to map the contours of contemporary social movements in order to understand the current logic of political struggle.

In this attempt to make sense of the changing face of social movements, a growing number of scholars have focused on the deep and complex intersection between media and social movements. Social anthropologist Veronica Barassi's book - geared towards advanced undergraduates as well as graduate students - is also poised at this critical intersection, and it offers new insights into the intersection of technology and social movements. Barassi trains her ethnographic lens on 'the everyday life' of three political organisations in Europe: the Cuba Solidarity Campaign, which is part of the British Trade Union Congress, Ecologistas en Acción, an environmental organisation in Spain, and Cosari, a group that is part of the autonomist movement in northern Italy

The book is built on the recognition that 'the dialectical tension between capitalism and forces of indignation represents a key aspect of the relationship between social movements and internet technologies'. And in order to better understand this relationship the book explores how the three groups under consideration negotiate with the tensions that emerge in the encounter between digital capitalism and activist cultures.

Barassi structures the book around a series of core tensions that she has identified: that between collective activist cultures and self-centred digital communication processes; the tension created by the inherent exploitation of user-generated data and digital labour; and the tension created by the hegemonic context of immediacy in web-based organising.

In each chapter, Barassi explores one of these core tensions, focusing on the practices of the three organisations. This strategy enables the reader to recognise a set of problems that many activists similarly face in harnessing the web, while illustrating their numerous strategies for tackling these tensions. Building on the work of political theorist Cornelius Castoriadus on the social imaginary, Barassi introduces the concept of media imaginary to help grapple with the different media practices of political organisations. The term media imaginary refers to the way activists visualise a social and political horizon of and against the existing world of neoliberal capitalism, but Barassi also utilises it to create a bridge between the political vision of the different groups she studied and their correspondent media practices.

One strength of the book is Barassi's rich participant observation of the everyday media practices of political organisations in Europe: she offers readers a vivid portrait of the tactics, strategies and political culture of contemporary activism. Her ethnographic approach is rare in the growing field of media and social movement studies. Moreover, the detailed focus of ethnography allows Barassi ample opportunity to challenge generalised assumptions about the role of technology in social change, both utopian and dystopian.

Another strength is that Barassi keeps her research apparatus trained on capitalism. In much of the research on social movements, capitalism and the political economy is a backdrop, offering context for movements. In Activism on the Web, however, capitalism and its attendant logics are a central theme in relation to which Barassi examines the practices of contemporary activists.

In the heady days of revolution, people make bold declarations. In the most recent waves of resistance this was certainly the case, as scholars and commentators declared the dawn of Twitter and Facebook revolutions. History is beginning to catch up with these hyperbolic claims, and books like Activism on the Web offer an important corrective...