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Bio

livingroom_100x113.jpgIn 2006, I founded ZapBoom Consulting,  which specializes in the analysis of how digital tools like cell phones and the Internet can be used in social change campaigns in developing countries.  I have researched and written reports on topics ranging from online citizen journalism to blog advocacy and internet censorship.  I have also performed in-country Internet monitoring and international conference organizing. 

You can contact me at MaryCJoyce AT gmail DOT com.

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Client Buzz

Feedback from Zapboom Clients:

"Mary's passion and energy for digital activism is obvious in every action and initiative she makes."...read more

"Right away she cut to the core of our needs."...read more

"She deserves much of the credit for organizing a tremendously successful event."...read more

"She was able to turn a potentially complex technical task into something that brought all the different viewpoints together and channelled everyone's energy in a collaborative manner."...read more

Digital Activism Projects

Current CV

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Written Products

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Mobile wi-fi will change the world

Posted by Mary on 29/06/2007 at 12:52

Trust me, it's not about the touch screen.

 

Today the iPhone goes on sale and I'll admit that it looks pretty cool and futuristic and has lots of neat features. But I think the feature with the broadest impact on global cell phone culture will be mobile wi-fi calling. Pretty soon, free or very low cost wireless internet signals will be available in all the world's urban areas and what does that mean? You'll be able to use that internet signal to make free international phone calls. Through wi-fi enabled cell phones the entire planet will be connected for free.

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Mideast Youth puts other activists on the web

Posted by Mary on 28/06/2007 at 13:27

About a year ago, Esra'a al Shafei started Mideast Youth, a digital organization dedicated to eliminating extremist ideologies and ignorance from the Middle East. At first she was working alone, but then she contacted other young bloggers from around the Middle East and they became dedicated to the cause. (Only a few MEY members have ever met in person. Mostly, they communicate over messenger, e-mail, and Skype.)

 

examples of sites MEY has created for other activist groups

 

How do they realize their lofty goal of eliminating extremism? Their answer is rather ingenious - help likeminded activists groups create an

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Larry Lessig goes into Politics

Posted by Mary on 26/06/2007 at 10:02

 

When considering my career, I've often thought of who I'd like to be like, which public figure I'd like to emulate. The person I come up with most often is Larry Lessig. He's a public intellectual and also an activist. He's no Che Guevara (and neither am I), but he's used his intellectual prowess and energy to change the world in the domain of intellectual property rights. Creative Commons, his "some rights reserved" program, has introduced alternatives to copyright in dozens of nations around the world (including Bligoo). He is a well-respected author. He travels around giving talks.

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Chinese and Egyptian internet activists unite

Posted by Mary on 25/06/2007 at 16:30

 

In 2003, four young Chinese men were handed out prison sentences due to their participation in the online forum New Youth Study Group, which discussed ways in which China might advance and prosper. They were charged with subverting state power and given sentences of between 8 and 10 years. Friends of these young men started the New Youth 4 group to try to get their friends out of prison.

 

 

Across the world, something was happening that New Youth 4 coordinator thought could have a direct effect on what he was doing in China. In February 2007, the Egyptian blogger Kareem

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Good News for Egyptian Bloggers

Posted by Mary on 22/06/2007 at 9:55

In Egypt, idealistic young bloggers are persecuted by the Mubarak government. Several of these bloggers (including those linked to above) have been thrown in jail on charges of slandering the regime and other accusations in an attempt to silence their dissent. They are voices of reform and "President" Mubarak has reason to fear them.

While most of the news coming out of Egypt is rather discouraging, here is some good news: today the State Commissioner Committee rejected a Egyptian judge's petition to block 51 human rights and news websites, saying it was not under within their authority to carry

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A Case Study about Korea's OhmyNews

Posted by Mary on 19/06/2007 at 14:26

OhmyNews founder Oh Yeon Ho addresses staff (credit: Kwon W.S.)

I was recently hired by the Berkman Center for Internet and Society to write a 30-page case study on the online Korean citizen journalism phenom OhmyNews. This is really good for me because usually I learn about digital citizen activism by experience (Free Alaa, Free Monem) rather than by study.

This project is forcing me to ask and answer the hard questions about how and why online citizen actions succeed. For instance: What are the particular characteristics of Korean society that has allowed online citizen journalism

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Creating a Petition Culture in Chile

Posted by Mary on 14/06/2007 at 14:32

image from Chile Primero website explaining what a petition is: "What are Petitions? Let's Learn a New Political Practice"

Petitions are one of the most popular forms of digital activism nowadays. MoveOn does it. Avaaz does it. Even the Free Paris Hilton campaign does it. You've probably signed an online petition yourself for one cause or another. The problem is, petitions don't translate into all cultures.

As I've mentioned before, I am working with Chile Primero, a new Chilean political movement (which would like to grow into a party) which is very interested in using technology in spreading its

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Chile Primero's got the right vision

Posted by Mary on 12/06/2007 at 12:21

movement founder Fernando Flores speaks at the launch event a month ago.

 

I know that it's currently just a movement, but Chile Primero could become my kind of political party. I see the ubiquity of communications technology (everyone has a cell phone, everyone has an e-mail account) as the future of politics and Fernando Flores, the movement's founder, clearly sees this too. The party seems honestly concerned with revolutionizing politics and how citizens interact with their governments, and I find this very exciting because that's what I am interested in too.

Of the different elements of creating a political party,

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Old News is Still Good News

Posted by Mary on 07/06/2007 at 16:47

monem-freed-crop.jpgLast week, on June 2, the Egyptian blogger Abdel Monem Mahmood was freed from prison. That's him with the huge grin and the peace sign on the far left in the photo. As I've been working of the Free Monem campaign, this is very exciting for me.

Now I'll be working on follow-up, helping the Free Monem network become durable so these activists can quickly collaborate when other Egyptians bloggers are arrested.

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Quote of the Week

"If you think you can influence the agenda, you walk through the world with different eyes and different ears."

-Yochai Benkler

What is Digital Activism?

Digital activism means grassroots activists using digital technologies like cell phones and the internet to increase their impact, thus subverting traditional power hierarchies and changing the world.

The Blog Advocacy Guide

        

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