Hippie 2.0: Social Activism and Web 2.0
by
on February 29, 2008,
While many of the Baby Boomers have traded protests for portfolios, there is another generation utilizing the latest and greatest in Web 2.0 technology to really affect change, and it's not just the microfinance lending companies like Kiva and FINCA.
Last year alone, $3 billion (USD) was invested in clean tech, in a total of 221 deals, a 43% increase over that market segment in 2006. Steve Newcomb, co-founder of Powerset, thinks that the growth in clean tech will grow exponentially, and has plans to create a cloud-sourced VC firm. Following some of the same principles as the microfinance lending companies, Newcomb's plan would provide a more egalitarian approach to which companies get funded, allowing investors to invest as little as $100 at a time into the fund and still have some voting ability in deciding what green initiatives should be funded.
And it isn't stopping there. The Facebook Causes application from Project Agape has groups with millions of members raising awareness, providing information, and yes, even raising a little money. Online activism groups coordinate letter-writing and telephone campaigns, and succeed because of the viral nature of friendships; you are more likely to get interested and support a cause that a friend shows to you. PayPal has also made it easier to push the donation angle with easy-to-use widgets that facilitate fundraising.
Of course, blogs may still be the biggest way for activists to get their message out. Blogs are still at the forefront of bringing attention to causes like the sentencing of a Moroccan engineer to three years in prison for creating a fake Facebook profile for the Moroccan king's brother. It is often these large-scale blog campaigns that draw international attention to stories that might otherwise have passed by under the radar.
The increasing global awareness that is facilitated by social communities that make the world seem smaller is certainly making us more aware of global issues, and hopefully doing more to encourage us to help.
