21 Oct Zick on Second Life and Cyber-Activism
My colleague Tim Zick has a post over at Co-Op about the “cyber protest” in Second Life in response to the crackdown in Burma. Admittedly skeptical about such cyber-activism at the outset, Tim writes about whether “virtual world” protests “will lead to greater social and political activism in existing ‘meatspace.'”
Another aspect of cyber-activism is how “virtual world” protests can actually bring together people who are geographically separate. The Free Burma protest that Tim writes about had 500 people from 20 countries. And, of course, they were probably in 20 countries but massed in one virtual place. The Internet has already revolutionized the organization of political activism. And now it has revolutionized where activism can take place as well.
Just add this to the intersection of virtual worlds and law, diplomacy, international finance, and academia.
We just finished Cyberweek at the National Center for Information Technology and Dispute Resolution of the University of Massachusetts (www.odr.info). This type of development is very very cool as to how cyberspace can help meatspace. It reminds me of Amnest International letters that are sent to a prisoner of conscience. If a million people gather in cyberspace on behalf of someone that will start to have some effect. The best example I saw of that organic process was the manner of self-organizing back in 1995 of tribute spaces for Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead when he died. It was very powerful to see the neural development.
Best,
Ben