THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVISM IN NEW SOCIAL MOVEMENTS: OPPORTUNITIES AND LIMITATIONS

The discussion on the relation between internet use and citizens’ civic and political engagement is conducted over two major paradigms. On the one hand, the optimistic viewpoint claims that the internet has been radically transforming political participation allowing for low-cost mass mobilization which would result in overall increased levels of political participation. On the other hand, the skeptical approach evaluates virtual actions like signing e- petitions, joining social networking sites’ groups, publishing and sharing campaign content, participating in short–term boycotts as ineffective and frivolous attempts. This article aims to evaluate political participation opportunities offered by social networking sites, namely “social media activism”, in the context of new social movements; and to interrogate the functionality of such activism and its limitations comparatively. Apart from this framework, the fundamental differences which distinguishes new social movements from universalist and class- based social movements, called as “old” will be insisted in the first part of this short study. Afterwards, an understanding that attribute a meaning to social media activism in terms of democratization and political participation and affirm this form of participation in the face of the conventional media channels; and another understanding which emphasizes the restricted framework of the former approach will be presented with their essential arguments in the second part of the study. In the conclusion, the dichotomy between positive and negative approach will be discussed.