Berkman Luncheon Series >
30
2009
Changing the World of Changing the World: Pushing the Models of Online Organizing
Ben Wikler, Avaaz.org
Tuesday, June 30, 12:30 pm
Berkman Center, 23 Everett
Street, second floor
RSVP required for those attending in person (rsvp@cyber.law.harvard.edu)
This event will be webcast live at 12:30 pm ET.
Consider two approaches to online political organizing: the "broadcast"
model, where organizers trigger simultaneous mass action by sending
emails to large lists (think of the Obama campaign, MoveOn.org, and,
globally, Avaaz.org), and "network-centric" or "net-centric" activism
where participants generate actions themselves (eg the China's
grass-mud horse). On close examination, their differences
shrink--effective broadcast organizing requires constant dialogue
between organizers and participants, and net-centric organizing is
often fueled by small groups of informal leaders--and ultimately, both
succeed only when they tap the latent energy of groups.
Avaaz.org has grown to 3.5 million subscribers worldwide
through a mostly broadcast approach--with the mission of closing the
gap between the world we have and the world most people everywhere
want, by nimbly aggregating small actions by individuals around the
world into focused campaigns on issues like conflict, human rights, and
climate change. Staff polls and test campaigns with random samples of
the membership, a process that preserves alignment but limits the
quantity of activity we're able to generate. Now, we're exploring ways
to expand the model and increase capacity by devolving the process of
campaign generation. How can we--or any similar group--empower larger
numbers to shape strategy, while still putting the mass membership at
the center?
About Ben
Ben Wikler directs climate change campaigning for Avaaz.org, a
3.5-million member global online advocacy organization. He led the
Avaaz teams at the Bali and Poznan UN climate change negotiations, the
2008 G8 summit in Hokkaido, and the 2007 APEC summit in Sydney. Avaaz
climate campaigns have mobilized more than 1 million people from 192
countries, been covered by the New York Times, Asahi Shimbun, BBC, and
CNN International, and been credited with helping shift the climate
policies in Japan, Canada, and Germany. Previously, Ben worked for
Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio; soon-to-be-Senator Al Franken of
Minnesota; and economist Jeffrey Sachs. He is a past regular
contributor to The Onion. Ben lives in Cambridge, MA with his wife.
About Avaaz
Avaaz.org is a new global web movement with a simple democratic mission: to close the gap between the world we have, and the world most people everywhere want. Across the world, most people want stronger protections for the environment, greater respect for human rights, and concerted efforts to end poverty, corruption and war. Yet globalization faces a huge democratic deficit as international decisions are shaped by political elites and unaccountable corporations -- not the views and values of the world’s people.
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Last updated July 08, 2009