zeynep tufekci, ph.d. @techsoc personal democracy forum nyc 2011 “agents of change”
TRANSCRIPT
Zeynep Tufekci, Zeynep Tufekci, Ph.D.Ph.D.
Personal Democracy ForumPersonal Democracy ForumNYC 2011NYC 2011
““Agents of Change”Agents of Change”
The power of The power of strong ties, the strong ties, the power of weak power of weak
tiesties Understanding Understanding Social Media & Social Media & Social Change Social Change
Challenges to Collective Challenges to Collective Action under AutocraciesAction under Autocracies
Information diffusionInformation diffusion ““Hidden Preferences”Hidden Preferences” -what do others -what do others
think?think? SynchronizationSynchronization Shaping the public sphereShaping the public sphere Organizing mass / political actionOrganizing mass / political action Publicity / visibility / solidarityPublicity / visibility / solidarity
So What Does Social Media So What Does Social Media Add to Dissent under Add to Dissent under
Autocracies?Autocracies? Nothing?Nothing? Same thing, maybe faster?Same thing, maybe faster? Negative because of surveillance / Negative because of surveillance /
censorship?censorship?
Social Media Alters:Social Media Alters:
Ability to connectAbility to connect Shape of the NetworkShape of the Network Speed of Information DiffusionSpeed of Information Diffusion
One-to-Many Network (Broadcast)
First Target in a Coup!
First Target in a Coup!
Demonstrators, too!
“The whole world is watching”
Thus…Thus…
Reshaping the Reshaping the public(s)public(s)
Changing the moodChanging the mood
Lessons from Lessons from EpidemiologyEpidemiology
Shape of network + speed of Shape of network + speed of transmission Key to success of transmission Key to success of quarantinesquarantines
Autocracies play “whack-a-protest”Autocracies play “whack-a-protest”
Isolate/Supress/Crush/Censor/WaitIsolate/Supress/Crush/Censor/Wait
Worked for decades!Worked for decades!
Many-to-Many NetworksMany-to-Many Networks
Altered DynamicsAltered Dynamics
State is a resource-constrained actorState is a resource-constrained actor
Social media, by allowing mass Social media, by allowing mass coordination and rapid information coordination and rapid information diffusion, complicates “whack-a-diffusion, complicates “whack-a-protest”protest”
Attention Attention eeconomy is key to politicsconomy is key to politics – – speed of information diffusion speed of information diffusion mattersmatters!!
Example: TunisiaExample: Tunisia
Gafsa: 2008. Gafsa: 2008. Mining town, protests over corrupt Mining town, protests over corrupt
hiringhiring Isolated, crushed (quarantined)Isolated, crushed (quarantined) 28,000 Facebook users in Tunisia28,000 Facebook users in Tunisia
Sidi Bouzid: 2010Sidi Bouzid: 2010 Mohamed Mohamed BouaziziBouazizi’s self-immolation’s self-immolation Protests spread (viral)Protests spread (viral) Almost 2,000,000 Facebook users in Almost 2,000,000 Facebook users in
TunisiaTunisia
The Tunisian BlogosphereThe Tunisian Blogosphere (by: Dominique Lahaix ecairn)(by: Dominique Lahaix ecairn)
Aggregators
Marketing/pub
Personal Diaries
Perso with some politics
The US lifestyle The US lifestyle BlogosphereBlogosphere
The Claim: Social Media The Claim: Social Media Unsuitable for DissentUnsuitable for Dissent
Social Media only about weak Social Media only about weak tiesties
Protest only moves through Protest only moves through strong tiesstrong ties
Weak ties don’t matter to Weak ties don’t matter to success of protestsuccess of protest
In RealityIn Reality
Social media ties include both Social media ties include both weak and strong onesweak and strong ones
Tie strength is dynamic! Tie strength is dynamic! Weak ties create publics!Weak ties create publics! Bridge ties (which can be weak Bridge ties (which can be weak
ties) crucial for avoiding ties) crucial for avoiding censorship and isolationcensorship and isolation
New Ties; New New Ties; New ConnectivityConnectivity
Online to Offline – Online to Offline – finding friends, finding politicsfinding friends, finding politics
Agents of ChangeAgents of Change Tools *do* matter because they alter:Tools *do* matter because they alter:
Shape of networksShape of networks – many-to-many – many-to-many Possibility forPossibility for/speed of/speed of information information
diffusion diffusion Creation of counterpublic(s)Creation of counterpublic(s)
Fighting with camels in the Internet Fighting with camels in the Internet ageage
But tools do not create the courage But tools do not create the courage and dignity we are witnessingand dignity we are witnessing
Thank you! Thank you!
Zeynep TufekciZeynep Tufekci
[email protected]@umbc.edu@techsoc@techsoc
www.technosociology.orgwww.technosociology.org