Campaign of the Movement (based on Tilly's Model)

From digmovements

[edit] The Goal of my Wiki

The overall goal of my campaign is to show people how political groups and politicians have been utilizing the internet to influence voters in the upcoming election. Many political groups entire livelihood is due to the internet, the web allows these groups to mobilize fellow activists from all over the world and organize further protests, bills, hearings, etc... In addition, politicians have been doing more and more web campaigning, making it possible for their supporters to send donations with the click of a mouse. Furthermore, I seek to inform others on how they can use the internet to make a difference in the upcoming election by using interactive sites such as YouTube. I plan to achieve this goal by showcasing large and small political groups whose message is heavily involved in the upcoming election. Furthermore, I seek to provide in depth information on the use of the internet so far in the primaries and how it was used in prior elections. A lot of citizens have been putting on demonstrations such as marches and protests to voice their opinions on issues that are important to them. Many activists have been organizing demonstrations that vocalize their opinions on matters such as universal healthcare and immigration. These demonstrations have proven to be somewhat effective as they raise awareness on their issues and show the candidates what the public values. Furthermore, many members of the republican party are calling for a boycott of the general election as many of them feel McCain is not representative of the republican party's views. Whether or not the boycott will gain momentum, it should serve as a wake up call to the republican party. These demostrations and boycotts are letting the candidates and their parties know what issues are truly import to the american people. Moreover, by organizing events where hundreds of people march through the streets it sends the message that they are unified and that they are committed to their beliefs through their actions. With the rise of online social networking sites such as YouTube and MySpace, it is now possible for anyone to voice with opinions on the election via the internet. Furthermore it allows existing activists to cast a wider net in regards to promotion for protests, sit-ins, etc... One of the major followers of online political activism is bloggers, while many of the head figures of the movement are bloggers, there is an increasingly large group of bloggers, the majority of which include political discourse in their blogs. Bloggers are very important to online activism, because they act as individual media, media that is truly representative of the people. The powers the movement targets are both the republican and democratic party, in addition to the many, smaller, third parties. Furthermore, the federal government in general is primarily the target of their movement. The third parties in this movement are the politically nonactive and the politically nonpartisan. It is nearly impossible nowadays to not see the online activism surrounding the election, furthermore it is increasingly easier to get involved yourself. The movements specific political goals fall into 2 major categories: those of the republican party and those of the democratic party. The primary goals of each are to get the candidate they feel would be best for their party elected. Although there are subgroups of both, there are some republicans calling for a boycott because they do not want to see McCain elected and there are many democrats who seem to spend the majority of their time spreading anti-hilary messages, instead of focusing on why obama should be elected. The sharp divide and mutual dislike between the left and right seem to be what form a strong cohesion for the respective groups. While the members of each respective groups cannot always agree with eachother inside their own groups, their mutual distaste for the other party seems to keep them unified. Freedom of the press and speech keep the movement alive. As the internet seems to be the final frontier of freedom of speech, it is the last refuge for many activists seeking to spread their message. Web techogolical advancements are vital to the advancement of the movement. The increasing number of online outlets makes online activism easier and easier and allows more and more people to voice their opinions on the election.