Environmental Internet Activism in Britain

Environmental activists have been widely recognized for their innovative use of the media, often deploying it to raise public awareness and pressure politicians. Over the last few years they have extended this media savvy to the Internet, which they have used to publicize their campaigns, mobilize participation, coordinate actions, and as a tactical tool in itself. To illustrate these developments, we can explore the connection between the Internet and environmental activism movements in Britain. The research described herein involved 80 in-depth interviews completed between June 1997 and June 1999 with members of Friends of the Earth, the Center for Alternative Technology, the Green Student Network, McSpotlight, SchNEWS, the Lyminge Forest campaign, and the Mobile OfŽ ce. Five main research areas were examined: environmental activist attitudes towards the potentially environmentally damaging technology of computers; the problems of Internet access for activists; the risks of Internet surveillance of environmentalist activities; the Internet’s role in environmental mobilization; and the development of on-line tactics.