· December, 2010

Stories about Digital Activism from December, 2010

Russia: Internet 2010 Overview

RuNet Echo  31 December 2010

2010 highlighted several important trends of Russian Internet. Online audience grows very fast with people getting more news online and actively using social networks. In a lot of ways, 2010 brought a recognition of the power of the Internet into Russian society.

Tunisia : “We Are Not Afraid Anymore!”

  31 December 2010

The year 2010 is coming to an end but Tunisia is shaken up by a social uprising that many bloggers hope will bring a decisive change in their country. Because of the Tunisian censorship of internet and the media, social media are heavily used to inform and organize the protests for 13 days now by using the hashtag #SidiBouzid. One main question stands out: Why are the protests in Tunisia not having the same echo as the protests in Iran? Additionally, why is censorship by China always discussed but the blackout by the police state of Tunisia never addressed?

Azerbaijan: Emin Milli's Reading list

  31 December 2010

In a note posted on Facebook, imprisoned and recently freed video blogging youth activist Emin Milli lists the books he read while in jail in Azerbaijan. Not surprisingly, the books mostly deal with a common theme — freedom and democracy.

Caucasus: Online tools in Peace Building

  31 December 2010

Writing on his Peace and Collaborative Development Network Blog, Global Voices’ Caucasus Editor recounts his experience of using online social networks in cross-border communication and peace building initiatives between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Locked into a still unresolved conflict over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh, another post, however, looks at...

Glimpses of Citizen Media from Portuguese language countries in 2010

  31 December 2010

Throughout 2010 the lusophone blogsphere has given new perspectives on important issues that mainstream media tends to ignore. Read this post and discover a selection of the voices that Global Voices has amplified - from citizen media phenomena, to politics, governance and indigenous peoples.

Hungary: “Viktor #Censorbán”

  31 December 2010

Kosmopolito writes about Hungary's new media law and suggests ways to draw attention to the situation; “transforming” PM Viktor Orbán into Viktor #Censorbán is just one of the strategies – and there's already a Censorban account on Twitter, as well as a hashtag. More relevant info and reactions – at...

South Asia: Looking Back at the Citizen Media Storylines in 2010

  30 December 2010

You cannot leave South Asia region out of the picture as with nearly twenty three percent of the world's population, events in this region exert an enormous impact on the international system. Global Voices covered some of these events from a citizen media perspective. Let us review the popular posts of 2010 in this region.

Algeria: What is Happening in Tunisia?

  30 December 2010

Algerian-American The Moor Next Door comments on the protests taking place in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia. “Police have attempted to block media coverage of the riots (and that the rioting is isolated and being exaggerated by the opposition), but bloggers and activists have posted pictures and video of the disturbances on the Internet,”...

Latin America: 2010 in Review

  29 December 2010

An 8.8-magnitude earthquake in Chile, a police strike in Ecuador and the Nobel Prize in Literature for Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa were some of the news bloggers and citizen media users reported and analyzed this year. Let's take a look at these and other stories the Latin American team covered in 2010.

Costa Rica: Reading Newspaper While Driving a Bus

  28 December 2010

Hell in Costa Rica [es] blog has shared a citizen video where a bus driver working for a public transportation company which recently got in trouble for running over a mother and her daughter is seen reading the newspaper while driving.

South Korea: Court Rules In Favor of Free Internet Speech

  28 December 2010

South Korea’s Constitutional Court has ruled that a law that bans the spreading of false information online is unconstitutional in a petition filed by a famous online blogger ‘Minerva’, who was indicted for causing disruptions in markets with his false reports. Twitterers, such as @jasmin4243[ko], bloggers, and civic groups have welcomed the ruling.

Lebanon: One Wig Stand for Cancer Awareness

  26 December 2010

One Wig Stand is an awareness project that shares the stories of women battling breast cancer in Lebanon. The author explains that the site is not a sappy one intended to make the reader cry or feel sorry. Rather, it’s goal is to inspire, lighten the mood and provide some helpful resources.