The Cyberspace Activist Handbook v1.0

The Internet has become a meeting place for activists and revolutionaries all over the world. None can deny the increased rapidity with which information now spreads. With the increased rate in the exchange of ideas, humanity has become increasingly critical of power structures. This guide will help you make the best use of your own unique voice.

"The greatest barrier to collaboration among well-meaning people is the widespread cultural sickness by which such efforts as these are deemed to be misguided or even unseemly. Many take what would appear to be solace in the fact that some great number of appeals to human decency and attempts at human reform have succumbed to human failings; here is humanity, after all, still imperfect even after some number of people have taken so much trouble in attempting to perfect it." - Guide to Pursuants, v1.5

Be warned that the Internet is full of people who are out to subvert, hijack, and discredit you. Be aware of a cultural environment that rightly fears hackers, crackers, and information thieves. Sometimes, activists choose to participate in civil disobedience. Civil disobedience is the breaking of laws in order to demonstrate how the laws are not just. While the public debate about the legitimacy of DDoS continues, it is safest to refrain from such controversial acts, as the organization of such attacks are currently considered terrorism, if not by the general public, but by the people who will put you in jail.

Social media is the primary vector through which new ideas propagate on the internet. Ideas spread differently through each kind of Social Media. In order to be heard, one must understand this recursive process and the nature of each vector.

A meme on the most childish of vectors, such as 4chan, will generally reflect the most basic level of emotional appeal. Anonymous posting encourages empty threats, lies, and sociopathic behavior. This is why /b/ is largely shocking sexual content and trolling. Because of the dark tendencies of the anonymous memesphere, activists should stay well distant, choosing more effective vectors. While there are benefits to Anonymity, it is yet to be harnessed as a vector for activism in a way that is not ultimately self-defeating.

IRC is an optionally anonymous chat system that can be an effective way for small groups to work together. The lure seems to be purely nostalgic, and there are many better vectors that don't force an activist to speak under the watchful eye of a powerful hierarchy.

Facebook is an ideal way for an activist to stay in contact with large numbers of trusted people. It is important to note that Facebook only provides the illusion of identity and all privacy barriers can be compromised easily. Should you organize an illegal protest on Facebook, you can expect the police. Simple memes that appeal to deep emotions are most popular here. A group that takes advantage of high gas prices to organize a "one day only boycott" of gasoline is a real example that nearly one million people participated in. Should such an effective meme contain a less symbolic boycott, the potential for true activism is enormous.

NB: The illusion of identity is equivalent to true identity for the great majority of users and provides an atmosphere of trust that is unparalleled by other vectors. This is why Facebook was such a significant vector for the uprisings in the Arab world.

Twitter is a vector much like Facebook, as it is promotes a trustworthy identity-driven culture. The emphasis of Twitter is the recursive distribution of very small messages. Unlike Facebook, where much of discourse is hidden by privacy barriers, Twitter is completely open to the public. Because of this, Twitter can be used as a barometer for the general public's reactions to world events. Remember that this barometer is twisted and biased in many ways, and only reflects one corner of the internet.

The weighted voting system of Reddit creates a more intellectual vector for memes to propagate. Reactionary public outrage is an extremely popular type of meme on Reddit. Reddit is yet another barometer of public opinion subject to all the failings of Twitter. Reddit may have great potential for the organization of online activism.

Designing an optimized vector for propagation of memes is the aim of Social Media. The natural development of the internet will favor the most optimized Social Media. For the purposes of an activist, identity-driven Social Media seems to be the most effective vector currently available. Due to the geographic structure of Facebook, it is the best candidate for organizing real-life demonstrations. While there is great potential for displays of activism in cyberspace, there are actions that must be avoided at all cost. DDoS promotes the idea that those we despise do not deserve the freedom of expression. This is, itself, so incredibly destructive to free expression that calling DDoS "civil disobedience" is slander aimed directly at Gandhi and Martin Luther King. In fact, DDoS is clearly defined as terrorism by the authorities. Do not DDoS.

Online fundraisers for charity, if organized by activists, could harness the power of memes for activism without disturbing cultural standards that discourage activism. The emotional appeal of donating computers to the unfortunate or providing aid to those in disaster areas could be used to recruit large numbers of people into activist movements and draw public sympathy. Reddit, Facebook, and Twitter are ideal vectors for charity fundraising, whereas 4chan and IRC are completely inappropriate.

A final note on the power of anonymity:
Anonymity gives a person the courage to say things they normally wouldn't. Bradley Manning is a perfect example of the true power of anonymity. Anonymity can also lead to threats and other deviant behavior, such as doxing, that clearly crosses the line between activism and terrorism. The act of threatening those who disagree, anonymously, is Intellectual Terrorism and impedes the free flow of thought. There is no secure way to ensure perpetual online Anonymity. Those who endlessly engage in terrorism and threats will always be caught. An activist should assume the courageous mindset of anonymity under their own real name whenever it is possible.