Classifying Forms of Online Activism: The Case of Cyberprotests against the World Bank

Introduction This chapter classifies political activism using the Internet. It is part of a larger work that situates online activism in a power struggle of control and resistance between the power elite and the public. First, I analyze the forms of online activism and construct a model to examine particular movements in terms of their utilization of the Internet. I cite examples to show the diversity of these activities, regardless of their political cause or geographic location, and provide a system for understanding various forms of online activism. Second, I examine how the online aspects of the anti-globalization protests against the World Bank fall into this classification system. I pay particular attention to the forms and results of online dissent preferred by the activists. Finally, I examine the strategies the Bank deploys to handle these cyberprotests.