What interests me about Ruby Sinreich's project is that she, and people like her, allow one to become an activist from their bedroom. No longer is it necessary to go to Union Square with a megaphone to make your voice heard. It is this level of convenience that I find the most interesting about her project.
While this type of activism does provide a medium for like-minded people to come together and exchange ideas and anxieties, it has thus far not proven to be very effective as far as making an impact on the real world. As somebody brought up in class (my apologies for forgetting who it was), organizing protests even in the real world usually makes very little impact, if any at all. To be fair, I do agree with the person who made the Darfur refugee camp replicas on Second Life that virtual activism does help people become more informed and more involved (which is also very important), but the question asked in this assignment deals with how much real-life impact virtual activism has and the answer is still very little.
In my opinion, the most effective and time-proven for of activism is martyrdom. Traditionally and even today, dying for what you believe in (in as public a manner as possible, of course) is usually the best way to get your message across. I am by no means advocating that anybody do this and I will not necessarily ever go to such lengths myself, but I do feel that this is the most effective form of activism that has ever existed. While people protesting in front of the Capitol building (whether in real life or on Second Life) are very often ignored by politicians and major news networks, terrorists who kill themselves and take others with them usually get exactly what they want from their form of "activism": mass panic and even a 'War on Terror' dedicated especially to them, all while winning the hearts and minds of their target audience. While it is very unfortunate, martyrdom definitely wins in terms of actual results.
As far as martyrdom being the strongest form of protest,sadly you've got a point there. when activist groups put their lives on the line to raise awareness and hopefully invoke change, that takes alot of courage and faith in your cause. Prancing around virtual capitol hill with 119 like-minded buddies is not courageous. Traffic will not be suspended to the area, protestors will not be arrested, it will not end up on the 5:00 news, and the government will not take it to heart. Their resources are better spent in the real life, where protestors are making physical sacrifices (food, rest, entertainment,etc...)just to participate.
ReplyDeleteIt's also worth examining how difficult it has become to stage an effective protest. Union Square provides a great example, because it had a long history as a place for free speech and public assembly that in recent years has been made more difficult by city policies. I think the convenience of second life might be directly related to the increase in difficulty in some places. However, it also depends what is at stake, which is why martyrdom is an interesting example. Protesters will be more likely to take risks to protest if they feel their life will have significantly less value without the rights or cause they are fighting for.
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