Beyond #CLICKTIVISM: Contentions in the Battle for Free and Open Internet

This research paper reflects on activisms 2010+ through the Internet blackout in the United States (US) and black Tuesday in the Philippines. There is a growing concern that digital media environment are trivializing activism in the form of clicktivisms and slacktivisms. Protests can be a click away, not all protests however qualify as trangressive contention. Drawing from a social paradigm that seeks out robust processes and mechanisms, this research paper examines two successful online protests. It looks into the Internet blackout in the US against the controversial copyright infringement bills called SOPA-PIPA. It also examines black Tuesday in the Philippines against the Cyber Crime Prevention Act. Using a non-linear and multi-level case analysis, the study draws out evidence of dynamic pathways shaping particular features of contention. By doing so, the inquiry finds proof that Internet blackout and black Tuesday involved complex and robust processes that lead to (1) actor constitution; (2) polarization; and (3) scale shift. Further, this paper provides a sketch of the contested global to local policy landscape on Internet governance vs sovereignty and fundamental freedoms.