Bits and atomsproactive data activism and social change from a critical theory perspective

Abstract

This book illustrates data activism, an unexplored social practice rooted in technology, which takes a critical view towards datafication and uses it politically for meaning-making, participation and social change. This book presents data activism as a democratic intervention in these big data times. The Ushahidi crowdsourcing platform serves as a narrative thread to explore how organisations and people are using maps and the data infrastructure to make sense of complex issues, and create counter-narratives and solutions. The study is supported by the examination of dozens of real-life cases and interviews with activists, researchers and thinkers, and offers a classification of activists. It examines too the context framing the emergence of data activism, including governmental and corporate dataveillance. This book speaks to practitioners in the field of social action on human rights, climate and environment, as well as researchers of social movement theory, journalism, communication, and alternative and citizens’ media studies, and international relations studies.