New Media and Public Activism: Neoliberalism, the State and Radical Protest in the Public Sphere

The Arab Spring was but the most prominent example of political activism that made extensive use of social media―everything from petitions to constituent communications have been affected by the rise of new communications technologies. But in New Media and Public Activism, John Michael Roberts poses a troubling question: Is this activism actually new and effective, or are we instead being transformed into subjects of online consumption and orderly surveillance, rather than being committed social and political campaigners? Taking a political economy perspective, Roberts offers an indispensable guide to understanding the relationship between the state, new media activism, and neoliberal practices.