1. (Thesis proposal phase - November) Occupiers didn't want to work within the systems they opposed, so like anarchists, they came up with a new set of rules. This tied to their refusal to name a demand. Internet and networking technology (INT) helped them collaborate and functionally do that.
Formal thesis: "The new definition of collective action is currently in an embryonic stage; it is not yet clear what new activism will look like when it is better developed. OWS utilizes new digital technologies as its organizational media and attempts to organically generate solutions to their grievances without relying on the structure of the systems they oppose. By identifying the structural characteristics of Occupy Wall Street, this thesis seeks to define a new philosophy for activism now possible with digital communication technologies. This thesis will maintain the theme that new technology is the factor most responsible for the paradigm shift. This will require research about the Internet and its technologies’ influence on human behavior."
Formal thesis: "The new definition of collective action is currently in an embryonic stage; it is not yet clear what new activism will look like when it is better developed. OWS utilizes new digital technologies as its organizational media and attempts to organically generate solutions to their grievances without relying on the structure of the systems they oppose. By identifying the structural characteristics of Occupy Wall Street, this thesis seeks to define a new philosophy for activism now possible with digital communication technologies. This thesis will maintain the theme that new technology is the factor most responsible for the paradigm shift. This will require research about the Internet and its technologies’ influence on human behavior."
2. (After studying Occupy's actions, websites, current doings - January) Internet, structure, and attitude of the Occupiers = rhizome. INT has imposed itself on culture, and changed people's attitude from what it was before. Hierarchy vs. horizontalism -- leadership vs. individuals.
From February "breakthrough" entry: "Technology has outmoded the hierarchical design that bestows so much power on so few. The design of the Internet, of a network – of the rhizome – gives users the means to share all with all. It no longer makes sense for so few people to control such a disproportionate amount of the country's wealth and political influence. That is why, in Occupy, there are no leaders. The fact that they have endured for so long as a people's assembly speaks to the efficacy and potential this structure has."
From February "breakthrough" entry: "Technology has outmoded the hierarchical design that bestows so much power on so few. The design of the Internet, of a network – of the rhizome – gives users the means to share all with all. It no longer makes sense for so few people to control such a disproportionate amount of the country's wealth and political influence. That is why, in Occupy, there are no leaders. The fact that they have endured for so long as a people's assembly speaks to the efficacy and potential this structure has."
3. (After comparison to Civil Rights Movement - Current) Technology did not change our minds, but facilitated/boosted culture's change. Horizontalism (functionally, consensus) is not a new concept – Occupy is just the first major movement to use it in its definition. All "movements" are leaderless, but in hindsight we can attribute "leaders," whether functional or symbolic.
At the outset of this project, I thought it would be secondary to consider WHAT Occupy was fighting for. Primarily, I wanted to see how their HOW (structure, use of technology) made them different from other past movements. But it's bigger than that -- the how honestly almost identical to the Civil Rights movement (or at least a faction of it). I am finding that one of the most important parts of the movement is HOW Democratic decisions (51% vs 49% vote) have replaced consensus and lead to "corporate greed." They have chosen a pre-colonial way, consensus, to govern Occupy.
At the outset of this project, I thought it would be secondary to consider WHAT Occupy was fighting for. Primarily, I wanted to see how their HOW (structure, use of technology) made them different from other past movements. But it's bigger than that -- the how honestly almost identical to the Civil Rights movement (or at least a faction of it). I am finding that one of the most important parts of the movement is HOW Democratic decisions (51% vs 49% vote) have replaced consensus and lead to "corporate greed." They have chosen a pre-colonial way, consensus, to govern Occupy.
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