Kavada, A. 2005. Exploring the Role of the Internet in the “Movement for Alternative Globalization”: The case of the Paris 2003 European Social Forum. Westminster Papers in Communication and Culture. 2 (1), pp. 72-95. https://doi.org/10.16997/wpcc.9
| Title | Exploring the Role of the Internet in the “Movement for Alternative Globalization”: The case of the Paris 2003 European Social Forum |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kavada, A. |
| Abstract | This paper attempts to explore the role of the internet in the processes of organization and mobilization of the ‘movement for alternative globalization’, which is often characterized as an ‘internet-based movement’. It reports the findings of a survey undertaken in the Paris 2003 European Social Forum (ESF), which asked 257 respondents about the contexts that mobilized them to participate in the ESF (political/voluntary organizations, friends/relatives, workplace/university, news media), as well as the modes and methods of communication that were used in each context. The findings question the claims about the internet-based character of this movement, as face-to-face contact seems to be the predominant mode of communication. The survey also challenges the much discussed potential of the internet to mobilize politically indifferent or marginalized individuals, as a comparison between users and non-users of the internet revealed that users tended to be mobilized for the ESF through political or voluntary organizations. |
| Keywords | Social movements, internet, survey, mobilization, movement for alternative globalization, European Social Forum |
| Journal | Westminster Papers in Communication and Culture |
| Journal citation | 2 (1), pp. 72-95 |
| ISSN | 1744-6708 |
| Year | 2005 |
| Publisher | University of Westminster |
| Publisher's version | |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.16997/wpcc.9 |
| Web address (URL) | https://www.westminsterpapers.org/articles/abstract/10.16997/wpcc.9/ |
| Publication dates | |
| Published | 2005 |
| License | CC BY 4.0 |