Alternative and Activist New Media

Over the last four decades, new modes of communication have redefined people's engagement with media; media audiences are now also makers, influencers, followers, gamers, trolls, and indeed data subjects. This turbulent social and technological context has created new opportunities for expression and activism around the world. In this fully revised, second edition, Leah Lievrouw considers the shift toward algorithmic media for political and cultural activism online - where data capture and big-data analytics are not just tools for managing and moving people or information but sites of creativity, connection, and contention in themselves. The book examines a range of events and developments, such as: design activists' anti-facial recognition projects; the use of open source intelligence in citizen journalism; and new apps based on encryption and DIY local networks that support movements such as Occupy and Black Lives Matter. Alternative and Activist New Media charts the theoretical roots of contemporary internet-driven movements and provides a framework for understanding the changing face of protest in the age of algorithmic media. This timely new edition will be a useful addition to any course on new media and society and is essential reading for those interested in new media activism.

Leah A. Lievrouw is Professor of Information Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is the 2022 recipient of the Frederick Williams Prize for contributions to the study of communication and technology, awarded by the Communication and Technology Division of the International Communication Association.