Indignés 2.0

Social movements have integrated the internet in their functioning. The capacity to spread information quickly all over the world has changed the way people used to organize protests. Cheaper, faster, method of mobilizing people has become easier. Keeping that in mind, studying a contemporary social movement can give an insight into how people are mobilized via the internet, which can contribute to the previous theory related to social movements on the internet. To this extent, this MA thesis explores the mobilizing structures of a contemporary social movement “les Indignés de la Bastille” on the internet. Mobilizing structures are defined by Garrett (2006) as the way people organize themselves in collective action. Focusing on the two features of mobilizing structures, the tactical repertoires and social structures as argued by Garrett (2006), the research aims to understand better how mobilizing structures function on the internet and how their functioning impacts online and offline mobilization. Methodologically, the research is based on 10 interviews of people directly involved in the social movement “les Indignés de la Bastille”. Findings reveal that mobilizing structures on the internet use website and more particularly social networking sites as strategic tools for mobilization. Interactivity can increase the capacity to mobilize, but the field remains the base of a social movement, in particular in order to create friendship between activists. Also, two levels of mobilization occur. Online mobilization is the lowest level; the mobilization has to be combined with the field in order to reach its highest level.