Digital Activism

TOP 10 GAMES

1. The McDonald's Game (http://www.heavygames.com/themcdonaldsgame/showgame.asp)
2. PeaceMaker (http://peacemakergame.com/)
3. Howard Dean for America Game (http://www.deanforamericagame.com/)
4. The Redistricting Game (http://www.redistrictinggame.org/index.php?pg=game)
5. 3rd World Farmer (http://www.3rdworldfarmer.com/)
6. Balance of the Planet (http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=115130)
7. The Grocer Game (http://www.thegrocerygame.com/)
8. Freaky Flakes (http://pbskids.org/dontbuyit/advertisingtricks/cerealbox_flash.html)
9. A Force More Powerful
10. Super Columbine RPG
11. Ayiti
12. Hush
13. Madrid (http://www.newsgaming.com/games/madrid/)
14. September 12th (http://www.newsgaming.com/games/index12.htm)
15. Disaffected - a.k.a The Anti-Kinkos Game (http://www.persuasivegames.com/games/game.aspx?game=disaffected)

TOP 10 ETHICAL GAMING GROUPS

1. Games for Change
2. Global Kids
3. Values at Play group
4. NewsGaming (www.newsgaming.com/games)

TOP 10 GAME MODS AND INTERVENTIONS

1. Velvet Strike (http://www.opensorcery.net/velvet-strike/about.html)
2. Dead in Iraq (http://www.unr.edu/art/delappe/DeLappe%20Main%20Page/DeLappe%20Online%20MAIN.html)
3. 911 Survivor (http://www.selectparks.net/911survivor/911screenshots.html)

TOP 10 GAMING COURSES

Brown University "Code, Software, Serious Games." You can find the blog here (http://codesoftwaregames.blogspot.com/). The instructor, Braxton Soderman, is writing his Dissertation at Brown on these sorts of things.

TOP 10 DIGITAL ACTIVIST SITES

1. http://www.digiactive.org
2. http://www.frontlinesms.org
3. http://www.mobileactive.org
   1. If you go to "directory," and "projects," you can sort through all kinds of cool projects happening across the world.
4. http://www.mideastyouth.com
5. http://www.fahamu.org
6. http://www.mjaft.org
7. http://www.bungesms.com
8. http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/

TOP 10 2.0 US POLITICAL SITES/BLOGS

1. Personal Democracy forum http://www.personaldemocracy.com
2. TechPresident http://www.techpresident.com/

TOP 10 DIGITAL ACTIVISM ACTIONS

1. German finger print action http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/03/hackers-publish.html
2. Critical Mass Cell Phone Surveillance http://glassbeadcollective.blip.tv/file/784711/
3. Google Bombing: George Bush = Miserable Failure
4. Teens walk out of high school using text messaging http://publius.cc/2008/05/15/essay-by-clay-shirky/

TOP 10 VIDEOS FOR DISCUSSION IN THE SOCIAL CHANGE CLASSROOM

1. CLASS
2. RACE
3. GENDER
4. IMMIGRATION
5. SOCIAL NETWORKING/FRIENDSHIP

• • • • Step 1: Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrlSkU0TFLs. This hilarious video explores the ways we take friendship for granted on FaceBook. Question to ask the group: Friendship is one way to use FaceBook, but how can the tool be used for larger social change? The class should explore and find specific case studies.
      • Step 2: Download the free Handbook for Digi-Activism on FaceBook(http://www.digiactive.org); pick a key selection, and compare their hints and tips to 'offline strategies. What's the same and what's different? The class can discuss, analyze and compare.
      • Step 3: Consider Step 1. What are the 'codes' of friendship and behavior on Facebook and in real life? What are the codes of activism and social change movements? What can each learn from each other? Have the class split into groups and create real lists comparing the the two categories (friendship v social change movements). Then have them come back together to discuss.
      • NOTE: You may not have time to do all three steps, but they should be presented consecutively. For example, start and stop with Step 1 if you like, but don't skip to Step 3 if you haven't completed Step 2.

7. THE POWER OF POLITICS/THE POWER OF MEDIA (Part 1 of 2 part exercise)

• • • • Step 1: Go to the Yes We Can Video by WIll.I.Am on YouTube. Watch it as a class and take notes on the words that are emphasized, underscored and repeated.
      • Step 2: Go to the No We Can't Vidoe by "John.He.Is" on YouTube. Watch it as a class and take notes on the words th at are emphasized, underscorded and repeated.
      • Step 3: Consider the arguments for these pro-Obama videos. Why is language so important to this group? What is the message underneath these two videos? What is really being said here? How would someone argue with this? How could you disprove that the qualities being celebrated here are essential to the US Presidential election? How could someone fight this argument with media?

NOW REPEAT W/ JOHN MCCAIN VIDEOS 8. THE POWER OF POLITICS/THE POWER OF MEDIA (part 2 of 2 part exercise)

• • • • Step 1: Go to the "He's The One" video by John McCain on YouTube.
      • Step 2: Go to the "Barack's a Celebrity" by John McCain on YouTube.
      • Step 3: As with above, consider the arguments by the John McCain for President campaign. How does this criticize Obama's campaign? What is the message underneath these two videos? What is really being said here? How would someone argue with this? How could you disprove that the qualities being celebrated/criticized here are essential to the US Presidential election? How could someone fight this argument with media?

9. CONCLUDING: THE POWER OF POLITICS/THE POWER OF MEDIA

• • • • Step 1: Imagine John McCain and Barack Obama were have a name throwing contest. Based on these videos, what would McCain and Obama call each other--if they only had one word? If these two were in kindergarten and having a verbal fight, what would you do? What about high school? In the work place? How about in a place of leadership for an organization? What if they were competing in the olympics or on a basketball team? What do you think the standards should be in political propoganda materials? Should there be any? Why are insulting videos effective?

Consdier strategies for dealing with conflict

TOP 10 OFFLINE ACTIVISM ACTIONS of 2008

1. NAS protests racist Fox News http://www.thenation.com/blogs/notion/338629/fox_news_attacked_by_rapper_blackroots_colbert
2. Obama gives speech about Race http://www.youtube.com

TOP 10 DIGI ACTIVIST EVENTS OF 2008

1. Blogging while Brown http://bloggingwhilebrown.com/

TOP 10 DIGITAL ACTIVIST CONTACTS

1. Mary Joyce - she is our beloved go-to person for digital activism and ran her own digital activism site a couple years ago: http://www.demologue.com -
2. Also: The Open-Net Initiative http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/research/opennet

peeps are currently compiling a digital activist map. Our new projects coordinator, Jill York, would be an excellent resource as she has a vast network of knowledge of and contacts with digital activists through her work with Global Voices Online.

1. Internet & Democracy Project have been about activism. You can check them out here: http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/idblog/ They offer links that would be helpful. The posts which are relevant to your research are : "Online Activists Emphasize Offline Activism" - "Camera Phones: Democratizing the Global Media Landscape" - "Electronic Artists Carry on Tradition of Artist-Activism" - and maybe even "Tweets Sparked Over Twitter in Congress".

TOP 10 DIGITAL ACTIVIST ESSAYS

1. Activism Chapter in Born Digital, by Urs Gasser & John Palfrey (August 25, 2008)

http://www.digitalnative.org

1. MacArthur Series on Digital Learning (January 2008) Especially Civic Engagment, Games, Race & Identity http://www.mitpressjournals.org/loi/dmal?cookieSet=1
2. Civic Learning-The Generation Shift, By Lance Bennett (May 2008) http://www.engagedyouth.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/civiclearning-the-generationalshift.pdf
3. See also Young Citizens... by Lance Bennett (July 2008) http://www.engagedyouth.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/youngcitizensciviclearning-july2008.pdf

Questions

1. Does a ubiquitous web enable people to plug in to their world (or their city)?
2. Could it?
3. How?
4. Could classrooms contribute to the growing knowledge banks of social change movements?