When we think about online protest movements we usually think about political activism. However, there are many cases of online protest activity that are not precisely political. Nowadays, the interconnectedness of the web provides the possibility for any minor situation to become a bigger social issue. Take, for example, the case of Evan Guttman, who in 2006 decided to help his friend Ivanna find the phone she had forgotten in the backseat of a New York City cab. Evan and Ivanna circulated the offer of a reward for the return of the phone, via e-mail message. Getting no response after a couple of days, Ivanna bought a new phone and had the phone company transfer the data stored in the old phone to the new contrivance. A few days later, Ivanna discovered that some mysterious photos had appeared in her new phone. These photos had been taken in the time between losing her phone and when the company transferred the data to the new one. Sasha, the girl that found the phone, had taken photos of herself and her friends and emailed them around using the phone and her email. So, Ivanna was able to see Sasha’s photo and know her email.
Evan (Ivanna’s friend), emailed Sasha asking for the return of the phone, but Sasha replied that she ‘wasn’t stupid enough to return it’. This led to a week-long, back-and-forth email exchange in which Sasha’s brother got involved and even threatened to teach Evan a lesson if he didn’t lay off. Evan’s response was to create a simple webpage including Sasha’s photo (the one she had taken with Ivanna’s phone and had sent around using her email), and a brief description of the events so far. This small action became a catalyst for the story of Ivanna’s lost phone which involved allegations of theft and harassment. As millions of users ‘digged’ the story, NYPD, New York City officials were forced to get involved - even Military Police reviewed some threat allegations related to the issue. NYPD’s refusal to treat the case as a theft prompted so many public online complaints that the department later reversed its decision and ended up arresting teenager, Sasha, for 'possession of stolen property in the fifth degree - a misdemeanor'.
This story (which you can read here and here or in the first chapter of this interesting book) is evidence of how online protests are not always politically motivated. Furthermore, it could also be presented as evidence of how, in cyberspace, small and unimportant issues can become disproportionately large and affect real people’s lives.
Evan (Ivanna’s friend), emailed Sasha asking for the return of the phone, but Sasha replied that she ‘wasn’t stupid enough to return it’. This led to a week-long, back-and-forth email exchange in which Sasha’s brother got involved and even threatened to teach Evan a lesson if he didn’t lay off. Evan’s response was to create a simple webpage including Sasha’s photo (the one she had taken with Ivanna’s phone and had sent around using her email), and a brief description of the events so far. This small action became a catalyst for the story of Ivanna’s lost phone which involved allegations of theft and harassment. As millions of users ‘digged’ the story, NYPD, New York City officials were forced to get involved - even Military Police reviewed some threat allegations related to the issue. NYPD’s refusal to treat the case as a theft prompted so many public online complaints that the department later reversed its decision and ended up arresting teenager, Sasha, for 'possession of stolen property in the fifth degree - a misdemeanor'.
This story (which you can read here and here or in the first chapter of this interesting book) is evidence of how online protests are not always politically motivated. Furthermore, it could also be presented as evidence of how, in cyberspace, small and unimportant issues can become disproportionately large and affect real people’s lives.
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