Flux of Digital Activism to Leverage Peace and Human Rights

Abstract

Plato and contemporary thinkers including American philosopher Martha Nussbaum have emphasized the need for political consciousness among the youth. Cultivating Humanity: A Classical Defence of Reform in Liberal Education by Nussbaum expressed that

It would be catastrophic to become a nation of technically competent people who have lost the ability to think critically, to examine themselves, and to respect the humanity and diversity of others.

Ideologically, it has been proven that advancement in technology can shift social ethos if we use it intelligently and then technology can lead to activism.

Digital activism can be defined as the use of electronic communication devices, for example, social media, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, e-mail, e-blogging, micro-blogging and podcast for different forms of activism. It enables citizens to express ideology and spread information to a large audience regarding human rights. In this context, researchers have explored the level of digital activism among pupil teachers and found very little awareness regarding the same. Findings also reveal that the level of digital activism does not have any significant effect on attitude toward human rights and peace. Although findings reveal that attitude toward peace and human rights is positively correlated with each other. Therefore, on the basis of the findings, an intervention program for digital activism has been suggested at the end of this chapter that can foster digital activism among them.

Citation

Shukla, A. and Pandey, K. (2021), "Flux of Digital Activism to Leverage Peace and Human Rights", Sengupta, E. and Blessinger, P. (Ed.) International Perspectives in Social Justice Programs at the Institutional and Community Levels (Innovations in Higher Education Teaching and Learning, Vol. 37), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 91-108. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2055-364120210000037007