The problem of history in digital activism: Ideological narratives in digital activism literature

The past decades have generated a wealth of literature on digital activism. Even so, the phenomenon has been little historicised. This paper engages in deconstructionist exercise historical references activism towards exploring implicit meaning-making symbolic-interactionist tradition. It identifies four distinct narratives: 1) technology narrative [activism as technology-driven]; 2) communications basis communication options]; 3) an online-off-line based dichotomy]; and 4) engagement its affordances for public engagement]. argues that these narratives contribute to distinct, polysemic, paradoxical understanding is technologically driven (technological determinism), both enmeshed with traditional In doing this analysis shows range underlying ideological assumptions study conceptualisation, which informs how understood today.