In our culture, globalisation processes and
advancements in technology have worked synonymously in the development of
redefined power structures. When it comes to resistance to power, social
movements are the central actors for Castells. An example of this would be NGOs
intervening as activists for the public to bring awareness to the overabundance of
neoliberalism and multinational corporate capitalism. ICTs like YouTube act as
important tools of mass self-communication that activists rely on in order to
reach out to the public and raise awareness on issues. A lot of the time, social
movements and NGOs are the ones who put pressure on governments and power
institutions, which in turn, sparks governments with apprehension of what might
happen if change does not occur. There are so many grassroots activists from
all over the world who help to challenge the status quo, and without them I
truly believe we would not see many of the societal progress that take place.
Would you guys agree that NGOs are beneficial to our world? Also, have you ever
been involved with an NGO? If so, which one was it?
Castells, M. (2009). Power
in the Network Society. In Communication Power (pp. 10-53). Oxford, UK:
Oxford University Press.
I would agree that NGO's definitely have a positive impact on our culture, economy and overall societal structure. I would also agree that they are effective because of the way in which they use powerful platforms such as YouTube to reach a wide audience variety and create discussion and provoke new thoughts and ideas. I've personally been involved with Habitat for Humanity and upon reading your article I came across the APC (Association for Progressive Communications) which I think is a really interesting Canadian NGO that our seminar may find interesting. http://www.apc.org
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