The Internet Activist: Getting
Involved while Sitting Still
By Lisa Cannon
Lisa Cannon is a Marketing Copywriter for Extensis Products
Group as well as a columnist for eTechNotes. You can reach her
at lcannon@creativepro.net.
Download the PDF file for this article.
The Internet makes getting involved easier than ever. But
do signing petitions and sending email to the President have
any impact?
If you’ve been on the Web for long, then you’ve
probably already visited the Hunger
Site. You might have heard about it through a friend who
sent you the good news: there’s a way to solve world hunger
that’s fast, easy and doesn’t even cost any money.
So you donated a few cups of food and felt better about yourself.
Maybe you visit it every day. I try to, though I sometimes forget.
Its focus has grown to include several causes, such as saving
the rainforests and fighting breast cancer, but the basic premise
remains: click a button, make a difference. In the same way,
the opportunities for Internet activism have grown steadily over
the past five years. It’s easy to see why—you can do
it all from the comfort of your computer chair. Why stand outside
a grocery store signing petitions when you can do it via email?
Why raise your voice in protest when you can voice your opinions
online? Not only that, the Web is a great way for people with
similar interests and agendas to work together. For example,
Linux open source development is possible because programmers
around the globe can work together—all thanks to the Web.
And their agendas aren’t all about code—politics is
also part of the picture.
Online petitions have also become extremely popular. In the
last week I must have received at least three: one about the
saving the Arctic wilderness, one for helping the space monkeys
(yes, space monkeys . . . I’ll get to that in a minute),
and a new one about reproductive rights. But do forwarded petitions
really have any impact? What’s the best way to make a difference
with the new communications at our disposal?
Linux Lovers—The Web’s Most Ardent Activists
Some of the most radical utopian activists on the Internet these
days aren’t arguing about the environment or politics—they’re
arguing about operating systems. Linux, to be precise. Step into
the free software fray and you might think you’ve landed
in an issue that’s more loaded than gun control. The enthusiasm
for Linux is more than a software and hardware issue—it’s
a way of life. Increasingly, Linux devotees are positioning the
operating system as an alternative to Microsoft Windows for the
computer masses. And they’re not just pushing the issues
of cost and stability—they’re pushing a political angle
as well.
Many Linux users see a dichotomy. To them, Microsoft, the
big monopoly, creates systems that allow no freedom of choice
and provides no open source code for customization. Then Linux:
cooperative programmers around the globe working in the tradition
of free software. In their point of view, it’s not just
Goliath versus David, it’s dictatorship versus democracy.
In his proposal “Information
as a global public good: A right to knowledge and communication”,
anti-censorship activist Danny Yee describes knowledge and information
as the new commodities of the future. He notes that “Increasingly,
information and tools for manipulating and communicating information
are controlled (‘owned’) by individuals or corporations
rather than being public goods available to everyone.” He
describes “information hoarders” such as corporations
that attempt to obtain total control over key intellectual properties
in order to control entire markets (pharmaceutical, biotechnology,
software, and media companies) as villains, and describes Richard
Stallman, founder of the Free Software
Foundation and the GNU Project, as a hero.
Some people might say that only geeks would ever need or want
to use what has been described as a confusing, hard-to-use system
that was cobbled together by an anarchy-in-action system of hackers
and programmers across the globe. But that’s what people
were saying about the Internet, and not so long ago. If it can
happen to the Web, who knows what can happen with Linux? But
the “no one’s at the wheel” format of the Internet
leads to problems inherent in such a system-redundancy and inefficiency.
One of the best examples of these problems is out-of-date and
downright untrue email petitions and campaigns. Forwarded by
well-meaning folk, they cause more problems than they solve.
Inbox Overload
The first email petition I ever saw—and signed—was
one of the most infamous. It was protesting a proposal to cut
congressional funding for public broadcasting and the arts. You’ve
probably seen it. Maybe you’ve signed it. It has been making
the rounds since 1995, when two University of Northern Colorado
freshmen emailed it to their friends. Recipients were supposed
to tack on their names, pass it along, and, after every 50th
signature, forward a copy to the authors.
The petition reached more people than the originators could
have possibly imagined. The university’s server was inundated
with many angry replies to what was often seen as spam. As this
petition and many others have proven, email activism can often
backfire. But more often the problem is that the whole issue
is a hoax, or at the very least, obsolete. The “Save Sesame
Street and PBS” petition is still in circulation, even though
the legislation is long gone.
I don’t like getting mass mailings. My friends know this,
and they limit how many “group forwards” they send
to me—especially when it comes to petitions. But the well-meaning
people in my personal address book have sent me several petitions
in the last few days, and as usual I am left in a quandary. Do
I take time out of my day to sign it and pass it along? Or do
I hit delete?
One of the first things I do when I receive a petition in
the mail is examine the cause. Is it a recent cause or is it
ancient? Is it pending legislation or vague outrage? Is the petition
likely to have any impact? The PBS funding is a prime example
of an obsolete petition. The legislation is long gone, so nothing
could be done about it anyway. I can’t claim to be an expert
on bills pending in Congress, so I often check the Urban
Legends “Inboxer Rebellion” page, where hoaxes,
virus alerts, and petitions are given the true-or-false test.
The researchers at Urban Legends also pose several important
questions you should ask yourself about any petition you receive.
Let’s take a look at one example—this time for protection
of space chimps, the primates used by NASA in the space program.
Here’s the text of the original petition:
- -----------------------
The Air Force owns 143 chimpanzees who are members or descendants
of the original colony of chimpanzees used in space exploration.
The chimpanzees are currently leased to The Coulston Foundation,
a biomedical research facility where many questionable chimpanzee
deaths have occurred. The Coulston Foundation is currently under
investigation by the United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA) for violations of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA).
- The Air Force is planning to relinquish ownership of the
chimpanzees and is now considering bids from interested parties.
Among the bidders are several groups who want to place the chimpanzees
in retirement sanctuaries where they can live out the rest of
their lives in peace. One such group is the Institute for Captive
Chimpanzee Care, which has Dr. Jane Goodall on its Board of Directors.
The Coulston Foundation has also bid on the chimpanzees, despite
their negligent management record.
- We, the undersigned, ask the Air Force to give all 143 chimpanzees
to groups who will place them in retirement, resocialize them,
and provide them with enriched environments. Please add your
name to this list and forward it to friends if you believe in
what it stands for. This list will be forwarded to: the President
of the United States, the Vice President of the United States,
Senate and House leaders, and the Pentagon.
----------------------
-
- Does this petition address a valid issue? No, because it’s
over. The chimps have already been turned over to the Coulston
Foundation.
- Does the petition include information about how the signatures
are to be collected? No, it doesn’t include an email address
to forward it to when a certain amount of signatures are reached.
It’s also not very well targeted, if it’s being sent
to the President of the United States, the Vice President of
the United States, Senate and House leaders, and the Pentagon.
- Does the petition include information about how it will be
used? Yes, but it addresses no current legislation.
- Is this petition likely to produce any positive results?
Not really. The real problem is that it takes money to care for
retired chimps. The Institute for Captive Chimpanzee Care doesn’t
have the resources to care for that many primates.
Like most of these issues, if you really feel strongly about
a cause, you should do more than forward a petition. In reality,
a signature at the bottom of a check is worth a lot more than
an electronic signature on an e-petition. At best, petitions
raise awareness about issues we would ordinarily never hear about
(like space monkey retirement issues). But if they allow us to
clear our conscience with an act that is basically meaningless,
then in some ways they do more harm then good.
How Can I Help?
Some e-petitions direct you to a Web site, where you can get
more information, sign a petition, and contact your local, state,
or national representatives. This is the most useful kind of
online activism, because it can actually make a difference. Petitions
posted to a Web site that collects signatures get more respect
than forwarded emails, which by their nature are rife with redundant
entries and forgeries.
When considering a policy position, congressional offices
tend to give the most attention to personal letters, visits,
telephone calls, faxes, personal emails, paper petitions, form
letters, postcards, and form email, according to a recent study
by OMB Watch, a nonprofit
group focusing on activities at the Office of Management and
Budget. In other words, you ignore spam and so does your congressional
representative.
So the next time a petition arrives in your inbox, you might
want to delete it. But if it’s about a cause you believe
in, follow up on it. Find out more. Visit the Web site, if there
is one. Become a member, donate time and money, and write personalized
email to your government representative. It’s easier than
ever to get involved, and a little extra effort can make a big
difference.
Here are some excellent sites where online activists can get
involved. This is only a tiny sampling of the huge amount of
Web-based movements, as well as the Web pages of organizations
that have been around a long time. You can also find a great
resource on getting involved at Net
Action. So don’t just sit there, sit there and do something!
The Hunger Site
This is a great place for one—click activism, with additional
information about each area (preventing hunger, saving rainforests,
helping kids with AIDS, supplying Vitamin A for kids, fighting
breast cancer, and providing aid to landmine victims) where you
can find out more and take additional action.
Peace Action
Peace Action is the nation’s largest grassroots peace and
disarmament organization. It has global and local action sites
and a long list of things you can do to promote peace and global
disarmament.
The Feminist Majority
Foundation
The home page of the FMF is a fantastic forum for women’s
issues. The “Take Action” area has a long list of up-to-date
legislation and events that you can act on, with well-targeted
messages (including a place to write to the editor of your local
newspaper) that you can personalize. Plus, you can write your
representative, register to vote, and read global news.
National Organization of
Women
This excellent site addresses a variety of issues that affect
women the most, with an area called “Take Action” where
you can send letters about specific legislation and sign up for
action alert announcements about upcoming events and issues.
The Nature Conservancy
Its mission is to preserve plants, animals, and natural resources,
and its Web site contains a lot of useful information about protecting
the environment. However, many of the action items under the
section called “Get Involved” are about donating money,
which is indeed an action that can speak louder than words.
World Wildlife
Fund
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is dedicated to protecting the
world’s wildlife and wildlands. Its “Online Action
Center” contains archived action alerts, a congressional
look-up tool, and resources where you can learn more.
To find out more about Linux and the free software/open source
movement, check out the following sites:
Free
Software Advocacy
Here the free software movement is linked with the struggle for
social justice and connected to freedom of information issues
in other areas. News, reviews, and links on the issue are also
available.
The Free Software Foundation
The home page for the GNU Project and the Free Software Foundation,
here you’ll find out what exactly defines free software,
why software should not have owners, and how selling free software
can be okay.
The
Free Software Project
Salon online magazine’s “Free Software Project”
is a book about the history, ideas, and people behind the free
software/open source movement. It is being posted as it is being
written-what could be called “open source journalism.”
Open Source Initiative
Open Source Initiative (OSI) is a nonprofit corporation dedicated
to managing and promoting the Open Source Definition for the
good of the community, specifically through the OSI Certified
Open Source Software certification mark and program.
SourceForge
SourceForge is a free service for open source developers offering
easy access to the best in CVS, mailing lists, bug tracking,
message boards and forums, task management, site hosting, permanent
file archival, full backups, and total Web-based administration. |
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