Understanding Video Activism on Social Media
Bristol, UK: Intellect (2025), x, 224 pp.
Contains illustrations, bibliogr. pp. 197-224
ISBN 978-1-83595-083-8 (pbk); 978-1-83595-085-2 (pdf)
"What political power do social media videos have? In what ways do they exert influence, shape public discourse, and change political life? How can participants in this field assert themselves against commercial interests, anti-democratic agitation, and authoritarian propaganda? These questions are being debated intensely as social media increasingly dominates global information flows, and videos increasingly dominate social media." (Publisher description)
Introduction: The Power of Video Activism
1. THE MEDIA LOGICS OF VIDEO ACTIVISM: FRAMES, FORMS, AND PLATFORMS, 11
Political Contexts and Frames of Video Activism -- Common Forms and Types of Activist Videos -- The System of Social Media Platforms -- The Platform System in the Age of the Splinternet -- How to Outsmart Platforms: The Most Boring Viral Video
2. TRAJECTORIES OF VIDEO ACTIVISM: PAST AND PRESENT, 38
Demanding Representation, Criticizing Capitalism -- Participation and a Voice of One’s Own -- Political Aesthetics -- The Role of Media Technology in the History of Video Activism -- Videos Everywhere: Between Empowerment and Disillusionment
3. THE IMPACT OF POLITICAL VIDEOS: ATTENTION, AFFECT, ACTION, 55
Pathways to Impact -- Competing for Attention, Overcoming Obstacles -- Image Wars in the Discourse on Migration -- Political Emotions and the Different Audiences of Activism
4. ACTIVIST VIDEO STRATEGIES: FROM CREATION TO NETWORKING, 72
Video Aesthetics and Spreadability: A Variety of Effective Forms -- The Dynamics of Distribution: Networked Attention and Emergent Narratives -- General Video Strategies in the Climate Crisis Discourse -- A Case of Strategic Provocation: Rezo’s “Destruction of the CDU”
5. THE DIVERSITY OF VIDEO ACTIVISTS: PRACTICES AND COMMUNITIES, 96
Small Media Collectives: Committed and Counterpublic -- Influencer Networks: Hybrid and Hypervisible -- Large NGOs: Established and Evolving -- Hashtag Movements: Polyphonic and Unpredictable -- Embracing the Diversity of Video Activism
6. VIDEO ACTIVISM AND THE PUBLIC SPHERE: CREATING COUNTERPUBLICS, 143
Publics and Counterpublics -- Creating Counterpublics: The Case of Black Lives Matter -- Expanding the Democratic Public Sphere
7. VIDEO ACTIVISM IN TIMES OF UPHEAVAL: TOWARD DIVERSITY IN SOLIDARITY, 157
Video Activism at War: Changing Contexts, Shifting Roles -- Video Activism Under Pressure -- A Plea for Diversity in Solidarity
1. THE MEDIA LOGICS OF VIDEO ACTIVISM: FRAMES, FORMS, AND PLATFORMS, 11
Political Contexts and Frames of Video Activism -- Common Forms and Types of Activist Videos -- The System of Social Media Platforms -- The Platform System in the Age of the Splinternet -- How to Outsmart Platforms: The Most Boring Viral Video
2. TRAJECTORIES OF VIDEO ACTIVISM: PAST AND PRESENT, 38
Demanding Representation, Criticizing Capitalism -- Participation and a Voice of One’s Own -- Political Aesthetics -- The Role of Media Technology in the History of Video Activism -- Videos Everywhere: Between Empowerment and Disillusionment
3. THE IMPACT OF POLITICAL VIDEOS: ATTENTION, AFFECT, ACTION, 55
Pathways to Impact -- Competing for Attention, Overcoming Obstacles -- Image Wars in the Discourse on Migration -- Political Emotions and the Different Audiences of Activism
4. ACTIVIST VIDEO STRATEGIES: FROM CREATION TO NETWORKING, 72
Video Aesthetics and Spreadability: A Variety of Effective Forms -- The Dynamics of Distribution: Networked Attention and Emergent Narratives -- General Video Strategies in the Climate Crisis Discourse -- A Case of Strategic Provocation: Rezo’s “Destruction of the CDU”
5. THE DIVERSITY OF VIDEO ACTIVISTS: PRACTICES AND COMMUNITIES, 96
Small Media Collectives: Committed and Counterpublic -- Influencer Networks: Hybrid and Hypervisible -- Large NGOs: Established and Evolving -- Hashtag Movements: Polyphonic and Unpredictable -- Embracing the Diversity of Video Activism
6. VIDEO ACTIVISM AND THE PUBLIC SPHERE: CREATING COUNTERPUBLICS, 143
Publics and Counterpublics -- Creating Counterpublics: The Case of Black Lives Matter -- Expanding the Democratic Public Sphere
7. VIDEO ACTIVISM IN TIMES OF UPHEAVAL: TOWARD DIVERSITY IN SOLIDARITY, 157
Video Activism at War: Changing Contexts, Shifting Roles -- Video Activism Under Pressure -- A Plea for Diversity in Solidarity
