Registration ends 07.4.2026 at 23:59 h

Specific affordances of digital technologies and specific features of giant software platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Google have become central to social movement organizing around the world. They have fundamentally altered the trajectories and dynamics of collective action. On the one hand they promote the rise of grassroots activism e.g., through enhanced and rapid connectivity and the possibility of providing space for marginalized voices. On the other hand, claims about “slacktivism” or “clicktivism,” terms that suggest low-effort actions requiring little commitment, raise concerns about the effectiveness and depth of digital engagement. In the context of authoritarian states, digital technologies also pose a significant risk: they can be repurposed to repress social movements and suppress grassroots mobilization. Furthermore, the platform politics of social media and their algorithmic filters complicate the relationship between digital media and collective action.

In this seminar we critically examine these developments and tensions of a digitally-mediated activism. Potential questions include: How do digital technologies alter the strategies people use to effect political change? What strategies remain unchanged in the digital age? What kinds of public formations of civic engagement do online platforms support? How do networked platforms facilitate affective processes? How is affect, understood as potential for action or inaction, built up with technological affordances and platform design? How are these publics mobilized or immobilized through their information and communication practices?

The course is divided into two parts. In the first part, students will gain foundational theoretical knowledge about core concepts such as contentious politics, collective and connective action, affective publics and platforms as political actors.
In the second, more practical part, case studies showcasing both the democratic and antidemocratic potentials of digitally mediated affective publics will be analysed and connected to the theoretical frameworks. Additionally, students will gain insights into how to gather digital data and further develop their academic writing skills.

By engaging with theoretical frameworks, historical developments, and case studies, students will gain a nuanced understanding of the transformative potential and limitations of digital media in contemporary social movements.

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Critically analyse the role of digital technologies and major social media platforms in shaping contemporary social movements and collective action.
- Explain key theoretical concepts such as contentious politics, connective action, affective publics, and platforms as political actors.
- Evaluate the impact of platform-specific affordances (e.g., algorithms, hashtags, geotagging) on the organization, visibility, and sustainability of social movements.
- Apply theoretical frameworks to real-world case studies that illustrate democratic or antidemocratic uses of digitally-mediated publics.
- Develop practical skills in gathering and analysing digital data for research purposes.
- Refine academic writing abilities through structured assignments that engage with complex debates on digital activism and social change.

Further information on teaching evaluation: https://www.leuphana.de/en/teaching/quality-management/evaluation/course-evaluation.html