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Will the Revolution be Tweeted or Facebooked? Using Digital Communication Tools in Immigrant Activism

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Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication / Journal of Computer Mediated Communication

Published online on

Abstract

Considering the debate over U.S. immigration reform and the way digital communication technologies increasingly are being used to spark protests, this qualitative study examines focus group discourse of immigration activists to explore how digital media are transforming the definitions of “activism” and “activist.” Analysis suggests technologies are perhaps pacifying would‐be activists, convincing them they are contributing more than they actually are. Thus, “slacktivism,” or “clicktivism” that takes just a mouse click is potentially diluting “real” activism.