Category Archives: Activism

Innovating Justice: The Mobile Apps Aiming to Transform How We Respond to Situations of Mass Atrocity

International criminal courts have often been a source of inspiration for technological innovation. At Nuremberg, the trial of the leading Nazis was facilitated by the creation of a pioneering interpretation machine by IBM, which enabled the simultaneous translation of the … Continue reading →

Facebook Likes Don’t Save Lives

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Mark Kersten

As readers will know, I have regularly commented on the relationship between social media and social activism. In the wake of Invisible Children’s KONY2012 and a growing body of literature on the subject, it has been impossible for anyone interested … Continue reading →

Responding to Allegations of Human Rights Abuses – A Lesson from Libya’s Justice Minister

Human Rights Watch (HRW) recently published its annual World Report. In the report, the human rights organization examined the records of 90 states, including those emerging from the “Arab Spring”. Suffice to say, they didn’t hold back when it came … Continue reading →

Something Good that Might Have Come from KONY2012

I recently had the opportunity to give a talk (for slides see here), hosted by Aidan Hehir, at Westminster University on a ‘pet project’ of mine – the role of social media in affecting political change and waging social activism. … Continue reading →

Justice through Graffiti and Cartoons in Syria

A fascinating and common trend amongst ‘Arab Spring’ states has been the use of imagery, particularly graffiti and cartoons, to denigrate bloodthirsty leaders, to express exasperation with repressive regimes, and to evoke hope for a different and altogether more peaceful … Continue reading →

Has Social Media Successfully Reinvented Social Activism?

Posted on June 2, 2012 by Mark Kersten

This week I had the honour to participate in a debate at the historic Oxford Union on whether “social media has successfully reinvented social activism”. The relationship between social media and social activism has become a critically important subject in the … Continue reading →

Beyond Kony2012: A Free E-Book!

Dear readers, Patrick, Elke and I wanted to alert you to a fantastic free e-book, Beyond KONY2012, edited by Amanda Taub of Wronging Rights who has put together a stellar cast of contributors, including Laura Seay, Rebecca Hamilton, Alex Little, as … Continue reading →

Diverging Trajectories: Social Media and #InternationalLaw

This week, Opinio Juris has organized a symposium on social media and international law in the wake of KONY2012. There are already a number of thought-provoking posts up, including this prescient piece by Charli Carpenter (see here too). The following … Continue reading →