This digital short course examines the rise of digital activism and its consequences. 

In the course of a public or media career, individuals meet all kinds of digital activists and engage with many online campaigns and causes.

You may even become an online activist yourself. If so, it's in your interests to behave ethically and professionally.

Interested in finding out more? Thinking about doing more in media?

We'll analyse the legal implications, risks and pitfalls of online agitators and will review how to conduct themselves ethically when writing for alternative sources, online news sites and campaign-based media.

Case studies include Julian Assange, Edward Snowden and Glenn Greenwald.

The Digital Activist is offered in association with Cybermedia

Key topics:

We'll cover key focus areas:

1. The origins of online activism
2. How digital activists operate
3. The attributes of a digital activist
4. Where the hashtag originated & how it's used today
5. The characteristics of a successful hashtag campaign
6. Meet three hacktivists and one journalist/activist who published secret documents
7. Explore each activist’s motivations, tactics, and ethics
8. How to build your own ethical-activist toolkit
9. Compose your own ethical activist guidelines
10. How to manage a digital activism campaign
11. Explore an alternative form of digital activism
12. Consider quiet activism's effectiveness as a tool for social and economic change
13. Observe quiet digital activism in action
14. Follow simple precautions for digital security