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

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"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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An Internet & Democracy Framework: Information > Deliberation > Participation

Posted by Mary on 14/01/2008 at 2:18

One of our tasks at the Internet and Democracy Project is to develop an intellectual framework which will aid us in studying the effect of the Internet on democracy. We are beginning by doing a lot of background research on the scholarship of democracy: Juan Linz, Seymour Martin Lipset, Terry Lynn Karl, Joseph Schumpeter, Robert Dahl, Larry Diamond. This has been very useful in placing our own research within the context of previous democracy research. Our next step is to do an overview of previous theories of democracy and the Internet, which fellow Corinna di

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This is why I came to Harvard

Posted by Mary on 21/11/2007 at 14:26


Yochai Benkler and his book, The Wealth of Networks

Yesterday I met with Yochai Benkler, Co-Director of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, where I work as a research assistant. What a spectacular and inspiring meeting! Prof. Benkler is one of the top intellectuals thinking about the effect of the Internet on society. He literally wrote the book on the topic (The Wealth of Networks, pictured above).

My fellow RA, Josh Goldstein, set up the meeting to learn more about Prof. Benkler's current research on cooperation and possibly lay a groundwork for future collaboration with the

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Civic Engagement and the Internet: Online Volunteers

Posted by Mary on 18/11/2007 at 19:06

The Internet assists social change campaigns by making participation easier. You don't need to go to a particular location to volunteer or even write a check to donate. It's just point and click, point and click. But by taking advantage of the online medium, many organizations are losing the benefit of the face-to.face campaign: getting the most out of each volunteer.

[Contents: An Offline Example: The Local Soup Kitchen / Applying These Lessons Online: Freeing a Blogger / How Small Campaigns Can Solve the Volunteer Utilization Problem / Solutions for Big Campaigns: Barack Obama's Campaign for President / Pitfalls of

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Revolutionary Technology in 1517

Posted by Mary on 05/11/2007 at 17:09


In 2007, everyone has the power to be a Martin Luther


In his 2006 article, "Changing Media, Changing Politics," University of California professor Samuel Popkin talks about the importance of distribution in stimulating intellectual and political change. He is not referring to the Internet though, but rather to the printing press.

Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenburg in 1517. In our history classes we are taught that this was the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, but there is a key factor that we aren't taught: distribution. It was not the ideas

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Mo' Money, Less Revolution

Posted by Mary on 02/11/2007 at 16:26

Traditional social change orgs are beholden to rich people. Internet organizers aren't.


On Wednesday I wrote a post about why grassroots digital activism is potentially more revolutionary than institution digital activism. My logic was based on a fuzzy proposition that institutions necessarily have "credibility, legitimacy, and resources" invested in the status quo, which makes them more likely to seek victories within the current system than try to create a new system.

Well, I'd like to flesh that argument out a bit by focusing on the resources part. The fact that social change institutions need a lot of money to operate

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Why Grassroots Digital Activism is Transformative

Posted by Mary on 31/10/2007 at 12:46

As of late (in the past three days) I have started defining my interest in digital activism in terms of its transformative capacity. By transformative I mean the ability of digital activism to alter the political status quo. I am not interested in digital campaigns that seek to gain victories within the current political system (many grassroots legislative lobbying campaigns in the United States fall into this category). I am interested in campaigns that seek to change the political rules or expectations within a society.

So, what is the connection between transformative digital activism and grassroots digital activism? Why is

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Troubling Thought at 2:05pm

Posted by Mary on 30/10/2007 at 15:04

I am interested in digital activism to the extent that is is politically transformative, that it can give marginalized political actors more power.  I usually think about this in the progressive context of human rights activists and democracy promoters but, as the case of Internet jihad demonstrates, violent and hyper-conservative marginalized groups are also empowered by the Internet. 

Digital activism is an array of tactics but implies no moral value. I am interested in digital activism because it empowers global progressives, but am I being naive?  Will an equal or greater number of conservative political actors use the Internet to

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Research Question at 12:58 am

Posted by Mary on 18/10/2007 at 1:57
I need to study citizen-driven political transformation and digital network structure and find their intersection.
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Question at 1:26 am

Posted by Mary on 16/10/2007 at 2:26

How can digital technologies like cell phones and the Internet help politically powerless people become more powerful?

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a global practice and a global language

Posted by Mary on 27/09/2007 at 23:51

Since I got to Harvard I've been casting myself in all digital directions: research assistant at the Berkman Center, trying to start a student Digital Action Group (DigAct), maybe building some digital activism technology with Gene Koo, bringing a speaker to campus. I've got a big goal and I'm not sure how to accomplish it so I just keep grabbing hold of things, hoping that something will stick.

So what is this big goal? I want digital activism to be a global practice and a global language. I want people around the world to be able to use

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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.

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