Social Movements and Citizen Activism in the Digital Age
This presentation explores the relationship between social media and citizen activism using the campaign for women’s right to drive in Saudi Arabia as a case study. While there is a general consensus on the importance of social media in facilitating social movements and citizen activism campaigns, there is a rising faction of scholars who call for the recognition of social media as a mere catalyst or facilitator of social movements, rather than an instigator of these social campaigns. Using the Women2Drive movement as a case study, this presentation applies the theory of collective action in order to elucidate the role of social media in facilitating this movement and contributing to the ultimate removal of the ban on women’s right to drive in Saudi Arabia. The presentation concludes that social media facilitated the expansion and success of the Women2Drive movement by lowering the costs associated with participation.
E-Portfolio: Social Movements and Citizen Activism in the Digital Age: The Role of the Media in the Campaign for Women’s Right to Drive in Saudi Arabia
https://sites.google.com/georgetown.edu/e-portfolio/home
Faculty mentor: Rory Miller
