Global Web Movements Lift Democratic Decision-Making to a New Level
-
In recent years, online activism platforms have multiplied to the degree
that they are starting to have a significant real world impact in areas
like environmental protection, human rights and public policy.
The
most important decision-making instrument of these platforms is the
online petition. In the age of social media, the chance to make an
impact seems just a few clicks away.
“There
are many metrics for success. Victory is the most obvious of metrics,
but not all campaigns win and that does not necessarily mean that they
are failures." -- Michael Allen Jones of Change.org
Oneare many metrics for success. Victory is the most obvious of metrics,
but not all campaigns win and that does not necessarily mean that they
are failures." -- Michael Allen Jones of Change.org
can easily sign existing petitions or launch his or her own petition in
an instant. Organisations such as 38 Degrees, Avaaz, Causes, Care2
Petitions, Change.org, ipetitions or MoveOn, just to name a few, have
spread across the world and provide the option to start a free petition.
Even the White House has launched an official online petition
initiative called We The People.
Two big platforms that primarily provide the service of online petitions are Avaaz and Change.org, both eight years old.
“Democratic
accountability is hardwired into our model. While the Avaaz team and
supporters suggest campaigns, each campaign is polled and tested with a
randomized sample of the Avaaz community,” Aften Meltzer, a spokesperson
for Avaaz, told IPS.
Transparent monitoring of a campaign’s
impact on social change might be the key to gaining more influence and
going beyond primarily raising awareness, she said.
Avaaz is a
democratic network of over 41 million members which was founded in New
York. It has become a global movement within just a few years. Eighteen
national teams on six continents launch campaigns all over the world by
mobilising individuals to participate in decision-making processes on a
local, national or global level.
According to their website, more
than 253 million actions have been taken via Avaaz since its launch in
2007. Avaaz solely depends on individual online contributions up to
5,000 dollars.
Change.org is a similar online initiative with over
113 million participants and more than 13,000 successful petitions in
196 countries. It works in the same way by giving people the chance to
make a contribution by participating in online petitions. Change.org is a
social enterprise and certified B Corporation.
“Our mission is to
empower people everywhere to create the change they want to see, and we
believe the best way to achieve that mission is by combining the vision
of a non-profit with the flexibility and innovation of a tech
startup,” said Michael Allen Jones, Deputy Managing Director for North
America at Change.org.
The chance to make an impact seems just a few mouse clicks away. Credit: Dorian V./cc by 2.0
