XVIII ISA World Congress of Sociology (July 13-19, 2014)

July 13 - 19, 2014

373

Theme IV.2 New Urban Protest Cultures in the Era of Digital Social Networks

RC21 Regional and Urban Development (host committee)

Language: English

The past few years have seen an increase in many novel forms of urban protest cultures worldwide making use of new digital communication technologies. Prominent examples are the protests in the so-called ‘Arab Spring’ cities and also the Occupy [Wall Street] and Right to the City movements, which had been organised on a global scale through the Internet and through social media networks such as Twitter, Facebook and other digital media. The use and adoption of mobile communication technologies entails the production of new space: along with the occupation of places, this production includes also mass gatherings and the temporary assembly of crowds in public city spaces that are, for the most part, (self-)organised by mobile phone users via text messaging, chat rooms and forums. Around the world and particularly in big cities, protests against Unequal Urban Worlds are taking the form of flash mobs (as happenings), smart mobs (setting political objectives) or carrot mobs (addressing environmental problems and consumer interests). The sudden stir and attention thus generated in a public location transforms the city into a stage for political campaigns and creative happenings of various kinds, allowing the appropriation of local public spaces. Events organised via telecommunications and social media help to raise awareness of local or global Unequal Urban Worlds issues on the spot through the “power of the mobile many” (Howard Rheingold). At the same time, new forms of collaboration and cooperation are emerging, producing new urban practices and social networks.