"People Create Social Conditions and People Can Change Social Conditions”
- Osonye Tess Onwueme
Technology has been a catalyst for social justice for hundreds of years (see, for example, the invention of the printing press and how it changed communication to the masses forever), but the advent of the Internet has been a turning point for many recent social movements. From the Zapatista rebellion in 1994 to the currently-in-progress Black Lives Matter movement, the utilization of tools like social media platforms, online discussion forums, and livestreaming has allowed activists to communicate globally through a variety of outlets, instead of just relying on mainstream media to get their messages out. Doing this has been extremely beneficial and crucial for grassroots movements, reaching audiences that would have seemed impossible just a few decades ago, permitting greater recruitment to and support of social causes, promoting a sense of collective identity, and showing different sides of social issues directly from the people experiencing them (Carty & Reynoso Barron, 2019; Mattoni, 2017). It is important for everyone, not just activists, to understand the intertwining of technology with social movements, change, and justice.
With this in mind, the Levy Library is excited to present our latest special topics collection, Technology & Social Justice. These resources cover many of these movements in-depth, and offer important context into why these movements came about and where the future leads for social justice. Each of these is available in e-book format, and can be accessed immediately from anywhere with a Mount Sinai ID and password. We plan on continually expanding this collection, and hope you will find it exciting, enlightening, and inspiring.
View the Technology & Social Justice Special Topics Collection
References
Carty, V., & Reynoso Barron, F. G. (2019). Social movements and new technology: The dynamics of cyber activism in the digital age. In B. Berberoglu (Ed.), The Palgrave handbook of social movements, revolution, and social transformation (pp. 373-397). Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing.
Mattoni, A. (2017). A situated understanding of digital technologies in social movements. Media ecology and media practice approaches. Social Movement Studies, 16(4), 494-505. https://doi.org/10.1080/14742837.2017.1311250
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